A late entry of "Sam Dunk" as a potential name for the new mascot was a massive winner during a vote for naming the TADEA Lions mascot. Sam Dunk collected more votes during the few hours at Eston than the all the other votes combined. In second
It was a great day in the FA Cup for the Northern League, with four clubs going through, and also for Consett, who win in the STL Northern League at Spennymoor. More detals to follow. FA Cup second qualifying round Ashington 1 (Young) Thackley 0
MIDDLESBROUGH'S dreadful away form continued as they slumped to a comprehensive 3-1 defeat at Watford. The game was effectively over inside the opening 20 minutes as Boro conceded three goals thanks to some calamitous defending. Adrian Mariappa's own
SUBSTITUTE John McReady won all three points for Darlington with a 93rd minute goal against Southport, his first for the club. South Shields youngster McReady, 17, came on three minutes earlier after Darlington had missed a penalty and Southport were
SUNDERLAND deservedly earned a share of the spoils at Liverpool in a match clouded by controversy. Contentious referee Stuart Attwell, once again, became the talking point of a highly-entertaining and competitive Premier League contest. The inept whistle
ED Miliband has won the battle to become the new leader of the Labour Party. The Doncaster North MP saw off the challenge of his brother David when the decision was announced at the party's conference. It took four rounds of voting to
KRIS Boyd finds himself back on the substitutes' bench as Middlesbrough take on Watford this afternoon. The striker has been left out of the starting line-up for the third game in a row as Boro boss Gordon Strachan attempts to secure a first league away
MICK Wadsworth stuck with the same starting XI as Hartlepool United looked for a first home win of the season. Pools drew 0-0 at Brentford seven days earlier and the only changes came on the bench, with Joe Gamble and Armann Bjornsson being named.
DARLINGTON manager Mark Cooper has named an unchanged team for the visit of Southport at the Northern Echo Darlington Arena today. Cooper has opted to stick with the 4-4-2 formation which earned Quakers a point against fellow promotion-chasers Luton
CHELSEA'S conquerors Newcastle were drawn at home to Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carling Cup today. The Magpies claimed a thrilling 4-3 success over the Barclays Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge in midweek. Holders Manchester United
DEMONSTRATORS assembled outside the AGM of a multiple sclerosis charity today to protest against the possible closure of its respite care centres, one of which is in North Yorkshire. The MS Society plans to close its four residential centres by the end
John Hobbs discovers the delights of a river cruise through France. AN oilman from east Texas, who laid claim to sailing on nearly every cruise known to man, summed it up like this: “This one’s got real style.” And, after eight days
THE Football Association, known over the years to have made one or two mistakes, came up with an award-winning clanger on Tuesday. In the charge of two security guards of the sort usually described as “burly” – though in this case more Little
BIRDWATCHING is relaxing and environmentally friendly but it is hardly recommended therapy to bring back together a father and son separated by a war, mass unemployment and more than a decade of estrangement. Yan is the man sent by Thatcher
THIS fictionalised account of the Great Train Robbery is an enterprising novel that brings the past blasting back. Robert Ryan recreates the full flavour of an era in which diamond geezers battled against coppers, bent or otherwise, in an era in
HARRY is a ten-year-old boy in 1970s Buenos Aires. He likes Superman comics, listens to the Beatles, has an annoying kid brother and plays Risk with his dad. But Harry isn’t his real name., he changed it – in honour of Harry Houdini – when the
A REAL-LIFE adventure story that grips from the start, has many highs but few lows and is a sterling tribute to human courage and resilience. When the body of climber George Mallory was found by Conrad Anker on the north face of Everest in
THE release of former Sunderland MP Chris Mullin’s second diary has unfortunately been overshadowed by the hyped-up memoirs of Tony Blair, the multi-election winning Premier who Mullin describes as “The Man”.Yet although Mullin was simply
Disney takes great care to keep the magic alive, ice skater Jamie Loper tells Viv Hardwick. THERE’S more to celebrating 100 Years of Magic, the current Disney On Ice show, than meets the eye. I’m allowed to talk to Jamie Loper about skating the
NORTH Yorkshire actress Joanne Froggatt will be serving both her country and the master of a big country house in coming months. With roles in Coronation Street, Robin Hood and Murder In The Outback behind her, she takes her first feature film
I AM saddened to see the “Charity begins at Home” excuse being used in response to the latest aid appeal for Pakistan. We all share a common home – it’s called the Earth – however, some of the poorest live in appalling conditions often exacerbated
I WOULD like to congratulate Middleton-in-Teesdale on its awards in the Britain in Bloom competition and I wish the organisers luck for next year. Daniel Alan Dowson, Middleton-in-Teesdale.
I BELIEVE it to be right that people who are brought before the courts should have a proper defence counsel. However, I have to marvel sometimes at comments made in mitigation to the bench in defence of individuals. A recent case (Echo, Sept
HOW typical of Labour politicians and Rob Merrick (same thing!) to already apportion blame before one cut is even announced that working people will be worse off with the Coalition (Echo, Sept 21). Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman talks of the
HAVING read the article “Police Officers ‘Catch More Crooks’” (Echo, Sept 24) I have to say that the research findings are exactly what the average man in the street would expect. Of course, fully-fledged police officers and detectives catch more
The enemy is in sight, all guns drawn at noon, but there’s more than a battle lined up at the station. IT’S War on the Line weekend on the Weardale Railway: French v Germans, Frosterley, 12 o’clock kick-off. A piece of the re-enaction. There
IS it any wonder Nick Clegg failed to maintain the attention of the United Nations? Why did we send a third rate politician? Perhaps it would have been more beneficial to send the Conservative leader to such an important meeting? I do not suppose
HOW nice to read in the paper that the two puppies stolen from Coundon have been returned to their owners (Echo, Sept 23). May we, through your paper, renew our plea for the return of our cat Missy who was stolen from outside her own home on June
HOSPITAL car parking fees (Echo, Sept 24) can be traced back to the Thatcher era when the pursuit of money had precedence over any moral considerations or ideas of probity. This gave rise to a generation of corporate managers who mirrored the
THE popular press and some politicians would like the people of the United Kingdom to believe we all now live in a secular society. The recent state visit to our country by Pope Benedict has proved this to be a myth. We most certainly now live
FORMER England captain Alec Stewart believes England will retain the Ashes if they can avoid defeat in the first Test at Brisbane. Andrew Strauss’ side will head to Australia next month aiming to become the first England team since the 1986-
REGARDING the recent State visit by the Pope. Truly, Pope Benedict held up high a beacon of light in a black smog of national spiritual retreat. This is a pitch-dark time for Christianity, a religion which has always deeply underpinned our culture
THIS week, as the Sedgefield MP was pushing for train-building to return, Sedgefield station was coming to terms with the likelihood that it will never see a train again. Not Sedgefield station in County Durham, which hasn’t seen a passenger train
As Inspector George Gently and sidekick Bacchus return to TV screens, stars Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby talk to Steve Pratt about filming in the North-East, where the stories are set, and enjoying the Newcastle nightlife. MARTIN SHAW asks me to
AMONG the list of 131 servicemen and women awarded honours for their courage in Afghanistan, there are many remarkable stories to be told. Such extraordinary acts of selflessness make inspirational reading and it is right that these heroes are
PADRAIG Harrington is 11 shots off the lead at the halfway stage of the low-key Vivendi Trophy in Paris – but at least he is still in it. Seven days before he tries to win his first Ryder Cup game since 2004, Harrington avoided what would have
GRAEME McDOWELL feels that beating Tiger Woods when the Ryder Cup starts at Celtic Manor next Friday will mean as much as it ever did. The world number one has been made a target ever since his debut at Valderrama in Spain in 1997 – and between
NATIONAL One leaders Tynedale will reflect on the price of success when they fly to Cornwall this morning to play Launceston while some of their old adversaries play derby matches. An all-Hartlepool affair in North One East sees West host Rovers
BRENT Wilson is confident a more disciplined approach will enable Newcastle Falcons to overcome an in-form London Irish side at Kingston Park tonight. Having conceded a spate of second-half penalties as they lost at Exeter last weekend, despite
THE steady drip of individual athletes pulling out of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi continued yesterday despite positive signs that organisers are getting to grips with the chaos that has plagued the last-minute preparations. England’s Russell
VETERAN Denis Field celebrated his 80th birthday on Monday – and two days later set two British agegroup records. Competing at Jarrow’s Monkton Stadium in pouring rain, Field threw the discus 25.92m, beating the over-80 record of 24.77 set
RIP Van Winkle can secure his own little piece of history today by landing back-to-back victories in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. Only Brigadier Gerard and Rose Bowl have claimed the mile championship twice in its illustrious history
SIR ALEX FERGUSON sensed Michael Owen would give him a selection dilemma at some point this season – and he has not been disappointed. Owen has been forced to wait for his chance at Manchester United as Dimitar Berbatov took centre stage. But
YOU would think the luxurious Rockliffe Hall golf course, in Hurworth, would be graced with the presence of Middlesbrough’s footballers on a daily basis. Not so. Strangely, manager Gordon Strachan has expressed to his players that he would prefer
With Durham unable to retain the County Championship title they won in both 2008 and 2009 and Yorkshire missing out on winning it this time around, the cricket season came to a rather flat and disappointing end last week. The Northern Echo’s cricket
DARLINGTON manager Mark Cooper will not underestimate Southport as the part-timers visit the Northern Echo Darlington Arena for the first time today. The Quakers have had mixed results against the semi-professional sides in Blue Square Bet
CHRIS HUGHTON insists Newcastle United’s stunning win at Chelsea in the Carling Cup should offer a reminder to every member of his first team squad that they can be dropped. Newcastle defeated the Premier League champions despite making ten
LIVERPOOL manager Roy Hodgson admits a victory today may allow him to sleep easier but will not provide an instant fix to what has been a difficult start to the season. However, he has dismissed critics who say his squad does not have enough
SUNDERLAND goalkeeper Simon Mignolet may not be Steve Bruce’s first choice when Craig Gordon returns to the side, but the Belgian admitted that he is living the dream. Six months ago, Mignolet was at Standard Liege, watching the English
STOKE manager Tony Pulis believes the best is still to come from club record signing Kenwyne Jones. The £8m summer arrival from Sunderland has scored three goals in his last three games across all competitions after an injury-interrupted start
THE first couple of months of Nicky Bailey’s career at the Riverside Stadium have mirrored the early part of Middlesbrough’s second season in the Championship. After a slow start, he is beginning to find his feet. He does not try to hide his
WE asked The Legends Has Newcastle’s midweek win at Chelsea given the Carling Cup some of its lustre back? BERNIE SLAVEN Not for Middlesbrough it hasn’t. I’m gutted. In all seriousness, though, it is great for the North-East to see Newcastle
EIGHT games in and at the fourth attempt at home, Hartlepool United are desperate to record a first home win in League One. In three Victoria Park outings, Pools have one point from nine and three goals. They have lost two and conceded ten
GORDON STRACHAN wants to be sitting on the sofa late tonight, ranting and raving at his television as many of the X Factor contestants humiliate themselves – because it would mean Middlesbrough have won. Last Saturday was the first time this
HE might have only one Premier League start behind him, but Newcastle United’s Tim Krul is convinced he has the mental and physical toughness to deal with a Stoke City battering tomorrow. Krul, highly-rated at club and national level, has found
AT MANCHESTER United, Steve Bruce used to relish going toe to toe with bitter rivals Liverpool . Today, as manager of Sunderland, Bruce is expecting abuse from the Kop. During the 3-0 defeat in March, Reds supporters sang “you’ve got a big
STEVE Bruce is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with under-pressure Roy Hodgson today – for he considers the Liverpool boss a massive improvement on predecessor Rafael Benitez. Bruce and Benitez clashed on the touchline last season
A GRIEVING couple opened their home for a charity event in memory of their “motorbike mad” son yesterday. David and Joan Short, from Bishop Auckland, spoke of their comfort at raising hundreds of pounds for Macmillan Cancer Support with the
AN investigation is due to take place into how the famous Whitby swing bridge was stuck in the open position for more than a week earlier this year. The failure of the gearbox mechanism on the 101-year-old bridge split the North Yorkshire seaside
A PAKISTAN-BORN businessman has launched an appeal to raise £120,000 for flood victims in his home country. When Nas Khan arrived on Teesside at the age of 14 he could not speak English, but went on to become managing director of the Jennings
A JUDGE has warned a man convicted of raping a reveller as she returned home from a fancy-dress night out that he could be locked up indefinitely. Craig Campbell was yesterday convicted of a violent attack on the woman and was remanded in custody
A COLLABORATION between Carlton and Co and Gladman Developments has seen the launch of The Carlton and Co Enterprise Hub at Aycliffe Business Park, County Durham. The Enterprise Hub incorporates 20,000ft of office space with a range of suites
THE boss of taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which employs 2,275 people in the North-East, has not ruled out the possibility of making further job cuts despite this week reassuring staff they were through the worst. Former Easingwold
A COUPLE who line-danced their way to love have tied the knot as a North-East park’s first wedding was given a country and western theme. Bernard Evans, 61, married 45-year-old Margaret Boyes at the first wedding to be held in South Park, Darlington
A FORMER firefighter who had a two-year relationship with a schoolgirl dating back more than 20 years was jailed yesterday. Bachelor Michael Martin, 53, abused the teenager almost every time they had secret meetings, Teesside Crown Court was
THOSE who might perceive the Bowes Museum as dusty and staid will be in for a surprise when striking images by the man dubbed the artist of his generation go on show this autumn. Damien Hirst shot to fame as a leading figure of the Nineties
SIX tiny piglets have been born at a new North-East theme park. The micropiglets, or tea cup pigs, were born to mother Florence and father Albert at Adventure Valley, near Durham City, in the early hours of Sunday, September 19. The three females
A MAN who carried out a racist attack on a woman and her husband having a night out with friends was jailed for four years yesterday. Thomas Honeyman, 21, battered Tracey Mitchell and her husband, Melville, with a bar stool in a pub in Bishop
NEW treatment is now being offered to cancer patients by a £2.5m machine. The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, is only the third NHS hospital in the UK equipped with the technology. The advanced radiotherapy combines a CT scanner
AN angry woman swerved her car into her cycling partner “in a moment of madness” following a row, a court heard. However, Toni Atkinson, 20, walked free from Durham Crown Court yesterday after the judge accepted it was a single angry act completely
A MAN who awoke with a severe headache went to hospital to find out he had been the victim of a vicious assault he knew nothing about. The 27-year-old victim, who does not want to be named but is from Darlington, has no recollection of the assault
A FORMER Seventies heartthrob is to take to the stage at the annual pantomime at a North-East theatre. David Essex is to perform alongside his wife, Susan Hallam-Wright, in Darlington Civic Theatre’s production of Peter Pan. Also taking part
A PROJECT to create 350 jobs in Weardale has been left up in the air after losing a £1m grant in One North East budget cuts. The finance was to be used to start work on the Eastgate Renewable Energy Village, on the site of the former Lafarge
GOVERNMENT agencies based in the North-East and North Yorkshire appear on a leaked list of taxpayer-funded bodies reportedly facing the axe. The National Policing Improvement Agency, which has units in Crook, County Durham, and Harrogate,
THE widow of a soldier has spoken of her pride at his posthumous military honour for heroism in Afghanistan. Mother-of-three Leeanne Brownson, from Bishop Auckland, said it was an immense honour to find out that Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, had
VILLAGERS could be given the responsibility for clearing snow and ice from minor roads and footpaths in the event of another harsh winter. North Yorkshire County Council is considering offering town and parish councils a self-help scheme which
VANDALS have been caught attacking a revamped Edwardian bandstand, which took nine years to restore, just two days after it reopened. The gates of North Lodge Park’s Grade II-listed bandstand, which reopened on Saturday after a £272,000 renovation
DOZENS of holiday home owners are protesting about proposed changes to their seaside park. More than 40 people have been joined by their local MP to express concern about changes being planned for Hazelgrove Holiday Park, in Saltburn, east Cleveland
