SUNDERLAND fighter Tony Jeffries enjoyed a spectacular homecoming this evening as he won his second fight as a professional in front of a partisan 1,500-strong crowd at Crowtree Leisure Centre. Jeffries, who won an Olympic bronze medal during
HOUSEHOLDERS have been warned to be on their guard following a spate of distraction burglaries. The first took place in New Road, Billingham, at about 10am on Thursday morning when three men claiming to be from the electricity board managed
UP to 20 homes were evacuated and several streets were sealed off this afternoon after a woman called police to say she had found a mortar shell in her shed. An Army bomb disposal squad from Catterick was brought in to remove the shell from the house
VOLUNTEERS are celebrating after planting 500 trees in their village since they set out five years ago to replace those coming towards the end of their life. Their efforts mean for the next century at least there will been an excellent variety
GRAHAM Onions assures me he did not deliberately get out in the final over on the first day so he would be available for interviews just before play began the following morning. Having been sent in as a nightwatchman, he failed to enhance his reputation
WHAT a bizarre game it was at Taunton. The previous biggest margin by which Durham have enforced a follow-on was 400 after Mike Hussey made 253 on his debut at Grace Road in 2005. On that occasion Durham dismissed Leicestershire for 123 and 184 to win
Former Darlington manager Dave Penney is due to play in the fundraising game at The Northern Echo Darlington Arena tomorrow. He resigned on Thursday to become manager of Oldham Athletic who he saw beat Walsall 2-1 today. But he will
NHS dental services have returned to a part of the region - where residents say they previously had to travelling 50 miles for treatment or do without. The Alpha Dental Group has opened dental surgeries in Leyburn and Hawes, in North Yorkshire
HARTLEPOOL United remain in League One - after their season ended with a 4-1 thrashing at Bristol Rovers. Pools end the season a point outside the bottom four, and survived on an nervous final day thanks to Leeds United's 3-0 win over Northampton
TWO new confirmed cases of swine flu virus were confirmed this afternoon in England by the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) laboratories. The new cases are an adult in the North West and a six-year-old child in Oxfordshire. Both confirmed
THE father of missing university chef Claudia Lawrence has launched a website in a fresh effort to find his daughter who police fear may have been murdered. Miss Lawrence, 35, was last seen near her home in Heworth, York, on March 18 and failed to arrive
ADAM Boyd is on his way back to Hartlepool United, after the club agreed a deal with Leyton Orient for the former Victoria Park favourite. The striker will next week complete a return to his home-town club, three summers after leaving for Luton
Darlington's final game of traumatic season sees Neil Austin replacing Alan White at centre-back. Quakers are away to Chester with Martin Gray in charge after Dave Penney resigned this week to become manager of Oldham. Penney will be
CHRIS Turner opted for a five-man midfield as he looked to secure League One safety for Hartlepool United. Avoiding defeat at Bristol Rovers is enough for Pools to stay in League One for next season, although they could still be safe if other results
A MILITARY policeman from Darlington deployed to Iraq is preparing to help hand back power to the indigenous population. RAF policeman and dog-handling specialist Corporal Mark Robson, known to friends as Robbo, is deployed on operations in Al-Basrah
MIDDLESBROUGH lacked spirit or confidence as Manchester United secured an easy victory at the Riverside this afternoon. Sir Alex Ferguson rested seven players from the side that beat Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final
GARETH SOUTHGATE has tasked Marlon King and Jeremie Aliadiere to spearhead Boro's challenge against Manchester United this afternoon. Alex Ferguson has rested seven players from the side that played Arsenal last Tuesday but still includes the
POLICE have named a father-of-one who died after he was assaulted in a house. Neil Paul Jones' body was found in the early hours of Thursday morning and four people have been arrested in connection with his death in Chilton, County Durham.
As the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem approaches later this year, Belinda Szonert discovers the Liberation Route, which follows a section of the path trodden by the Allies in their attempts to liberate the Netherlands during the Second World
HER dad was a Hartlepool hero, a footballer described as “no-nonsense”. By all accounts it meant no-nonsense as the hobs of hell. Folk still recall the Darlington derby when Keith Nobbs lost half a dozen teeth, got up and returned, spitting
Henry Metcalfe, the Durham son of a bricklayer, is a mainstay of the UK’s best-loved musical. DURHAM-BORN performer Henry Metcalfe feels he’s living his life backwards. At the age of 65, he has central roles on and off the stage with the ever-touring
MUSICAL prodigies have long been a source of wonder; from Mozart and Mendelssohn, to Kissin and Kennedy. The latest generation of the world’s best appeared at an entrancing concert at The Sage Gateshead. The stars of the night warmed
AS befits Shakespeare’s “if music be the food of love” play, Juliet Forster’s production of Twelfth Night has an extra helping of music, as twins Sebastian and Viola are separated and then washed up in Illyria. Christopher Madin’s soundtrack
EVEN Peter Chelsom admits that the idea of him directing teen sensation Miley Cyrus in a Disney feature film is an odd idea. “Who are we going to get to helm America’s teen sensation in cowboy country? Let’s get a middle-aged Brit,” he says, imagining
HOME Secretary Jacqui Smith sets the police on an Opposition MP in receipt of non-secret information about immigration leaked by a civil servant subsequently sacked. Chancellor Alistair Darling gaily leaks out the depressing bits of his Budget
GIVEN the disastrous Budget, is it not time for the sacred cows of ID cards and Trident II to be sacrificed? The deeply unpopular ID scheme will cost at least £5bn at today’s prices while Trident II will cost £25bn-plus. There is no evidence that
IT’S 9.15 on Sunday morning, but the carrot-smart kids are in their weekday best, awaiting the VIP visitor to their school. A little posse of churchwardens – a staff of churchwardens, as previously we have suggested – forms an honour guard,
GIVEN that we are in the grip of a world economic recession, Chancellor Alastair Darling’s Budget was very balanced. The 50p income tax rate for high earners was something of a surprise, but a bold and necessary step. It is pleasing to see that
IT is clear that the Conservatives are scenting victory at the next General Election. I have no reason to believe they are wrong. The Labour Party has been in office since 1997, and though it has done a great deal of good, there is no avoiding
THE new Durham County Council unitary authority is large and powerful and covers the area of four or five MPs. One of the reasons for its creation was that it would give the area more power and influence. In that case, why do we need MPs when
DAVID Ellis (HAS, April 24) provides a website – globalwarminghoax.com – which is said to show that climate change is not occurring. I am at a loss to see why I should ignore all the authoritative reports by such as the Intergovernmental Panel
THE Conservatives have announced plans for widespread academy school education. An academy school is no bad thing, but to roll this out on the scale that the Conservatives are proposing is alarming and a seriously flawed idea. The cost of making
I AGREE with Tony Kelly (HAS, April 27) about recycling. After paying our taxes we are now treated like recycling terrorists if we don’t obey the increasing orders by the authorities to clean and sort our rubbish, to put it all within easy reach
THANKS to the unstinting support of The Northern Echo we attracted nearly 4,500 people to the recent premiere of our play, Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather, at the Gala Theatre, Durham. As always, it is a wonderful feeling to see and hear people
THIS paper launched a campaign last summer to change the law to prevent commercial tanning salons from admitting children. Being badly burned in pursuit of the perfect tan can increase the risk of developing skin cancers in later life. We highlighted
ALL in one day and all from Darlington: Doris Barker, 17, “beloved and youngest daughter”; Gwendoline Carter, a “dear daughter”, and Gladys Cowen, a “dearly beloved daughter”. Then, William Lee, 23, a “dearly-beloved son” from Coundon, and Ethel
As Spock and James Kirk in the new Star Trek movie, Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine boldly go where other actors have gone before in the TV series. Steve Pratt beams up to the Enterprise to find out how they approached the roles. THIS was the moment
MICHAEL VAUGHAN failed to take to the field on day four of Yorkshire’s draw against Worcestershire after injuring his troublesome right knee whilst playing football. The ex-England captain, who has already had four separate operations on the joint
JOHNNY Murtagh does not often get it wrong but he might just have slipped up in picking Rip Van Winkle in the stanjames.com 2000 Guineas. Back in 2002, everyone sided with favourite Hawk Wing in the first Classic of the season and they had to
TWO sides looking for their first victory of the season in the Dukes NEPL meet at Ashbrooke today when Sunderland play a Stockton side who are still not certain that their Sri Lankan, Malintha Gajanayake, will be here for the game. Second team
AFTER the opening rounds of sparring, teams get down to some serious business this weekend with a double Bank Holiday programme. Eight teams are separated by just three points in midtable, and two of them meet. The rejuvenated Hartlepool are
MIDDLESBROUGH cricket and rugby stars of the past turned out yesterday for the opening of the new £1.5m clubhouse at Acklam Park. Former England rugby player Rory Underwood and Durham and England cricketer Liam Plunkett unveiled the plaque,
Dave Penney this week became manager at Oldham after leaving Darlington where he came so close to promotion. Assistant Sports Editor Craig Stoddart takes a look at his Quakers reign. WITH Darlington deep in a financial mire and their season
NEWCASTLE will begin life after Jonny Wilkinson next season with a New Zealander in the No. 10 shirt. England star Wilkinson’s departure to big-spending French club Toulon is expected to be confirmed in the next fortnight. The Falcons, meanwhile
BOTH finalists in Monday’s FA Women’s Cup shoot-out at Derby are bidding for a double this season. But both Sunderland and strong favourites Arsenal have undergone the jitters since winning their respective semifinals in late March. As a result
DARLINGTON heavyweight Chris “High Tower” Burton declared himself “devastated” after his European Masters title fight was cancelled at the eleventh hour due to his opponent suffering a hand injury, writes ANDY RICHARDSON. Burton was due to make
DESPITE a top table including promoter Frank Maloney, three title-holders and a British heavyweight famous for defeating Mike Tyson, new professional Tony Jeffries was the man attracting all the attention. Jeffries, preparing for only his second
AT the end of a dramatic week comes the completion of a traumatic season, and for many Darlington fans they will be glad when the campaign is over. What the future holds remains uncertain, but the last two months have brought little other than
CHRIS Turner is relishing the chance to reshape and rebuild the Hartlepool United squad – once their League One status is assured come 5pm this evening. If Pools avoid defeat in their final game of the season at Bristol Rovers, they will be
SIR ALEX FERGUSON has no intention of letting any outside forces influence his Manchester United team selection. Despite his club record £30.75m price tag, Ferguson still left Dimitar Berbatov out of his starting line-up to face Arsenal on
THIS time last year, David Wheater had the world at his feet. He had broken into the Middlesbrough first team, missed just four Premier League matches all season and was about to be named North-East Player of the Year. One month later, and
NIALL QUINN cast an eye over the North-East’s new boxing hero at yesterday’s weigh-in before revealing that the American poised to take complete control at the Stadium of Light is ready to make Sunderland a powerhouse in the Premier League.
RICKY SBRAGIA is fed up with Roy Keane’s intermittent swipes and has accused the former Sunderland manager of refusing to move on following his Stadium of Light exit six months ago. Keane left the Wearside club in December and, after a brief
JUST over five years ago, Alan Shearer was part of the Newcastle team denied all three points at Liverpool after Michael Owen’s secondhalf equaliser cancelled out Shola Ameobi’s opening strike. Liverpool went on to pip the Magpies to a Champions
ALAN SHEARER is facing the first big dilemma of his managerial career as he considers dropping Michael Owen from the Newcastle starting line-up to face Liverpool tomorrow. Since taking charge eight weeks ago, Shearer has repeatedly reaffirmed
PAUL Collingwood yesterday admitted the temporary nature of the job persuaded him to resume the captaincy of England’s Twenty20 team. Collingwood, 32, will be in charge of his country in next month’s World Twenty20 tournament having only quit
WITH the Premier League relegation fight entering its critical phase, it is time to explode a couple of myths about this season’s basement battle. The first is that you nearly always need 40 points to secure safety. Thankfully for Middlesbrough
STEVE Gibson has promised Gareth Southgate he will be Middlesbrough’s manager next season, no matter what division the club are playing in. And while Southgate remains confident his side can avoid the drop ahead of this afternoon’s home game
Somerset v Durham (County Championship) : Day Four DURHAM were defied by century-makers Justin Langer and Craig Kieswetter, with a little help from the weather, at Taunton yesterday as for the second successive match a deserved victory eluded
PEOPLE are being urged to contribute memories and memorabilia for a community website charting a town’s shipbuilding history. Called Hartlepool Built – Ships, Crews, Community, the website – at hartlepool built.co.uk – aims to create a record
PHOTOGRAPHS taken during a mass bike ride have gone on display in a town hall. The pictures were taken by members of the Durham Photographic Society during the 2008 Durham Big Ride. They can be seen at Durham Town Hall until the end of May. More
A FLAGSHIP £200m mortgage rescue scheme has failed to help a single family facing repossession in the region, the Government has admitted. The initiative, announced last autumn, was intended to allow recession-hit homeowners to switch to becoming
A MAN accused of indecently touching two teenage girls has denied being “a dirty old man”. The suggestion was put to 60-year-old Leonard Michael Young as he gave evidence on the fifth day of a trial at Durham Crown Court. Mr Young repeated
INVESTORS paused for breath yesterday after the FTSE 100 Index’s best month in six years. The index climbed 8.1 per cent last month – pushing the blue-chip index into bull market territory – amid improving confidence in banks and a greater appetite
MORE than 100 new company owners have put themselves forward for an entrepreneurial challenge which seeks to find the North-East’s business leaders of the future. The second year of the If We Can, You Can challenge has been hailed as a huge
A TWO-YEAR buying spree of JJB stores by rival Sports Direct International has raised competition issues in five areas, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said yesterday. The findings emerged after the OFT rolled a number of separate acquisitions
PROSPECTS for school leavers who want to make a career in construction and civil engineering remain good despite the credit crunch, according to the head of the region’s representative body. Peter Samuel, chairman of the Civil Engineering Contractors
A BIG Issue seller stole £80 from a partially sighted customer, a court heard yesterday. Bianca Mihai, who took advantage of her friendship with the victim, was yesterday branded despicable by a judge. Mihai was told by Judge Christopher Prince
A KILLER was sacked from one of his pizza shop jobs because of his fascination for knives and his “erratic” behaviour, a murder trial jury has heard. Takeaway owner Davood Bagaban said he was worried about Ahemdreza Fathi taking blades to his
DARLINGTON Football Club goes into the final weekend of its 125th anniversary season facing arguably the most important game of its history. A host of footballing legends, headed by former England, Newcastle and Middlesbrough midfielder Paul
A TV crew was in the region this week filming in a picturesque dales village. Property experts Kirstie Allsop and Phil Spencer visited a house in Middleton-in- Teesdale, in County Durham, on Tuesday while filming a new episode of Relocation,
Potential Army recruits from the region took part in a five-day course at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, to show them what Army life is like. The experience included a night ambush, weapons handling and endurance challenges.
DEVELOPMENT agency One North East last night said it would not seek to claw back public money that was paid to support a deal between a North-East airport and airline bmibaby. The agency confirmed it had paid £425,000 to Durham Tees Valley Airport
A CORONER teamed up with a leading motorcycle racer to issue a safety warning to bikers on the eve of the Bank Holiday weekend. Their grim message was delivered after six bikers lost their lives on North Yorkshire roads so far this year – compared
POLICE were last night still hunting a man believed to have fled a house where a second man died in suspicious circumstances. More than 30 officers are involved in the investigation after a body of the man, thought to be in his 20s, was found
ONE of the accused in the Simon Everitt murder trial confessed to the precise way in which he tortured and killed the 17-year-old, a court heard yesterday. Martin Lakin, former boyfriend of defendant Maria Chandler, described how he visited her
A new North-East golf course, destined to become one of the best in the country, opened yesterday for the start of a series of “taster” days. Peter Barron, editor of The Northern Echo, was among the first on the pristine fairways. ON bracing
THREE highly talented jet skiers have been testing their skills in the build-up to an international competition. Women’s European champion Lisa Barsby, former British, European and world champion Jim Goodchild and local rider Ryan O’Connor
CAMPAIGNERS hoping to see tighter controls on the use of sunbeds have welcomed new health and safety guidance for solariums – but warned that the move does not go far enough. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) now advises that no one under
