THE weekend of our visit to Winchester, it rained. It rained as we left Darlington, it rained as we passed through North Yorkshire and the Midlands, and it rained as we drove through the south. It rained so much that I began looking out for long queues
TRADERS at a Teesside flea market have been hit by vandals who scaled a wall and smashed up their stalls. The twice-weekly market has been held in the 300-year-old Green Dragon Yard, Stockton, for 25 years. Earlier this year, a gate had been repeatedly
If Tarporley-based trainer Michael Mullineaux had to name a favourite racecourse, there wouldn't be too many bookmakers willing to lay odds-against him nominating Ayr. For Mullineaux notched one of the highest profile wins of his training career to date
Howard Wilkinson revealed his plan to call up striker Teddy Sheringham for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier in Finland after taking over as caretaker England boss following the resignation of Kevin Keegan. Wilkinson, who was also called in on an emergency
Michael Schumacher finally scratched Ferrari's 21-year itch in Japan yesterday as he gloriously regained his mantle as the world's greatest driver. Schumacher became the first man to lift the coveted drivers' crown for the Italian team since South African
It took just 45 excruciatingly painful minutes at Wembley for what had been evident to almost everyone else at the European Championships to finally become apparent to the England coach himself. He may be wonderful company, as passionate as they come
NOBODY can doubt that Mary Coughlan's singing comes straight from the heart. The Galway-born performer - who appears as part of Tyneside Irish Festival 2000 - has had the sort of life that reads like a real life soap opera. The troubles of this mother-of-five
TOP model Adriana Sklenarikova has criticised the weather and food in the North-East. Adriana moved to Teesside from France when her football star husband Christian Karembeu joined Middlesbrough FC this summer. But the glamorous 6ft Wonderbra model has
WAR widows and veterans in part of County Durham could finally receive a tax break which is the norm for their counterparts across the country. Councillors at Chester-le-Street District Council will tonight consider whether or not to stop including war
Kevin Keegan has insisted that England will do everything in their power to close down Wembley stadium in the perfect fashion - with victory over Germany in today's World Cup qualifier. And he expressed confidence that he would not be the last manager
From its very first days, Wembley Stadium has created history. Now the famous old ground will become part of it. The landmark which has played such an integral role in English sport closes its doors for the last time this evening after the World Cup tie
Players' representative Gordon Taylor has threatened to pull out of vital talks aimed at finding an alternative to the present transfer system. Taylor, chairman of international players' union FIFPro, is privately sceptical about the chances of a consensus
Wales skipper Gary Speed reaches the milestone of 60 caps with a burning desire to change his nation's image as losers. The Newcastle midfielder will lead out his country against Norway at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in their World Cup qualifying crunch
Like Wembley Stadium, whose last we shall see today, Newcastle's Roman Catholic Cathedral was strictly all-ticket - and with a little plan on the back, to direct the faithful to their seats. Like Wembley there was also a fulsome programme and a press
Q I am going to be paying Voluntary National Insurance contributions for the next six years to help me get a bigger retirement pension. Can I use these contributions to get Incapacity Benefit if I go sick? A No. Voluntary Contributions count only towards
PAUL Arnison had been expecting a wind-up call from Stuart Elliott. And sure enough, the Darlington midfielder was soon on to his Hartlepool United opponent with today's derby the main topic of conversation. Arnison will this afternoon go head to head
A FATHER and daughter at daggers drawn found themselves standing in the same Crown Court dock yesterday. Geoffrey Platt, 53, and Amanda Platt, 20, admitted threatening behaviour when they were said to have set about each other with golf clubs taken from
It may have cost more money than the Millennium Dome, but Michael Schumacher could on Sunday finally realise Ferrari's £1bn dream. The Dome's future may be in question but Schumacher is on the threshold of ensuring himself a permanent place in the history
BRITAIN'S biggest mortgage lender The Halifax believes the property market is continuing to come off the boil. But its regional breakdown of house prices for the third quarter of the year showed there is still a sharp divide in prices between the North
Goals: Henderson (9mins, 1-0); Miller (65, 2-0); Naylor (88, 2-1) Bookings: Gray, Baker, Strodder, Campbell (fouls), Liddle, Nogan (dissent) Referee: Alan Butler Attendance: 3,265 HARTLEPOOL (3-5-2): Williams 7; Strodder 7, Baker 7, Westwood 7; Knowles
THE Serbian people have reclaimed their country. Now Europe and the rest of the West must help them rebuild it. The rise of Vojislav Kostunica, a Serbian nationalist, would have be seen as worrying in the West were it not for the fact that he was replacing
CONTROVERSIAL plans to hand over control of council services to a private firm took a step closer to realisation yesterday. But a final decision over which company will run the services has been deferred until next month. At a cabinet meeting, Middlesbrough
A MULTI-MILLION pound project to create extra care homes for the elderly is on the verge of gaining council approval. The Broadacres Housing Association has submitted plans which would see Orchard House at Brompton, near Northallerton, demolished and
A SCHOOLGIRL has been praised for comforting a fellow pupil injured when a car ploughed into a bus stand. Chloe Edmondson, 15, was walking to the stand in Bedale Avenue, Billingham, when she heard a loud smash and was confronted by injured and distressed
A SCHOOLGIRL'S efforts to make a name for herself in the world of literature have been given celebrity encouragement. Ten-year-old Rebecca Radigan was amazed when the Duchess of York responded to her plea for help in launching a career as an author. The
THE first time is always the best, so they reckon, and it has to be said, it was memorable. The match was a bit special, too. It was the 1971 FA Cup final. She was the daughter of the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, they were the mighty Arsenal and we were
A NEW export initiative from Trade Partners UK designed to help British companies gain a crucial foothold in the lucrative export markets of Western Europe has been launched. The initiative will see firms from the North-East participate in a trade mission
A DARLINGTON shopping development has been sold as part of a massive £126.6m property deal. The Darlington Retail Park is one of four developments to be bought from retail warehouse specialist developer Grantchester Holdings by Coal Pension Properties
THERE'S something fishy going on in the toilets of one of the region's newest Internet cafes - and it has even attracted the attention of the RSPCA. An inspector from the animal welfare charity visited Cafe Gulp in Darlington after receiving a report
GEORGE Reynolds opted to stay away from Victoria Park on Saturday - it's a shame so many of his players too his advice and appeared to follow suit. Because Hartlepool took the first derby honours of the season with a 2-1 victory over Darlington that was
Pensioners' Spin Doctor Through my Northern Echo I make this claim. History will write of your fame or shame. Your future's there and it could be bright If you readressed the pensioner's plight. Poetry should be a pleasure for all to read And not be used
KEVIN Keegan was keeping a low profile last night as bookmakers put three North-East football managers in the running for his job. No one answered calls on the intercom system at the gates of Keegan's £2m mansion at Wynyard, near Billingham, Teesside,
RESIDENTS are proposing to dip into their own pockets in an effort to protect their streets after a number of arson incidents. Homeowners in Coniscliffe Road and Langholm Crescent, Darlington, have come up with an initiative to make the dark alley which
HUNDREDS of people will disappear from homes across the country today. They will leave for a number of reasons; troubles at work, abuse, illness, money worries or family arguments. There again there may be no reason for them leaving at all, other than
A TROUBLED drama student held the sister of actor Jimmy Nail hostage and forced her to listen to his play at gun-point, a court heard yesterday. Lecturer Val McLane and a group of 30 terrified drama students watched in horror as Christopher David burst
Middlesbrough handed out a lesson in quick fire football and returned home with a specially arranged LDV Trophy with a 3-2 win at St Mirren. The biggest mystery of the 90 minutes was that they did not win by a much greater margin. Despite that scoreline
A FUGITIVE made a pensioner a prisoner in his own home in a bid to escape from armed police, Teesside Crown Court heard. Burglar Heath Randall, 34, crept into 77-year-old neighbour Mohammed Zamman's home as he was praying, said prosecutor Michael Bosomworth
THE continuing effect of last month's petrol crisis is likely to overshadow proceedings next week when a number of retailers announce their results. Furniture group DFS, which posts its full-year results on Thursday, is expected to show solid pre-tax
A TEENAGER who battered to death a man making his way home from a New Year's party told a court he was so drunk he didn't know what he was doing. Malcolm Wilson, 46, was killed after attending a Millennium party last year. Newcastle Crown Court heard
STUDENTS in the North-East are being invited to apply for a share of £1m to address the social and educational issues in their communities which they think are important. The money is on offer through Barclays New Futures, one of the country's largest
Colin Montgomerie broke one record and equalled another as he began the defence of his Cisco World Match Play title with a sparkling victory over Ryder Cup teammate Padraig Harrington at Wentworth. Montgomerie, winner of the last three Volvo PGA championships
A SCHOOLBOY who sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl at least ten times walked free from court yesterday. The 14-year-old from Darlington, County Durham, was given a two-year supervision order after admitting one charge of unlawful sexual intercourse
EXPANDING engineering company, The Tanfield Group, is investing in its future workforce by creating five new positions for trainees. The company, based at Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, currently employs more than 200 staff. It has further boosted those
ENGLAND take a back seat this afternoon on Teesside as Hartlepool United entertain Darlington. The Division Three rivals go head to head as the national spotlight is on England and Germany at Wembley. The Victoria Park crowd is expected to be down on
NATURE RESERVE I WAS very pleased that The Northern Echo published an article to draw the attention of the public to what is happening in Spennymoor Cow Plantation Nature Reserve (Echo, Sept 29). I was more than pleased to read Councillor Joan Wood admit
THE war of words between the London Stock Exchange and the predatory Swedish group attempting a hostile takeover of it rumbled on yesterday. Sweden's OM Gruppen, whose £755m swoop has met determined resistance, has accused the LSE's board of having "no
THE hospital at the centre of the Richard Neale scandal was last night waiting for confirmation that a former senior member of staff faces a disciplinary hearing. Reports in a national newspaper yesterday indicated that Dr Michael Saunders has been charged
