Tane Tu'ipolutu scored the winning try in added time as Newcastle snatched a dramatic victory over Harlequins to reach the LV Cup final, at Northampton a week tomorrow. The Falcons trailed 13-3 during a first half dominated by Quins before man of the
TANE Tuipolutu scored the winning try in added time as Newcastle snatched a dramatic victory over Harlequins to reach the LV Cup final. The Falcons had trailed 13-3 during a first half dominated by Harlequins before man of the match Jimmy Gopperth inspired
TRYING to criticise the Nissan Qashqai is rather like barking at the moon. No matter how hard you try, its still there, staring down at you. With Nissan, the bold fact is that since launch in 2007, it has shifted some one million of
Morpeth won their first league game of the season when they beat Gillford Park 3-1 at Craik Park on Friday night. Wyn Fremlyn (2) and Stephen Mills put Morpeth 3-0 up, before Michael Reed pulled a late goal back. It was Morpeth's 27th league game of
MIDDLESBROUGH long jumper Chris Tomlinson has vowed to take a leaf out of Olympic silver medallist Phillips Idowu's book in believing life can begin at 30 ahead of London 2012. Tomlinson has been a regular face on the international stage since making
A 2-1 win at Liverpool in front of almost 45,000 would be a dream debut for any footballer, surely? Not for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson it wasn't. These days he's an integral part of the Darlington team, but back in 1998 he was a fresh-faced 19-year-old who
Imperial Cup Day at Sandown is one of the most eagerly-awaited weekends of the year as it means the Cheltenham Festival is almost upon us. I was fortunate enough to share a stage with trainer David Pipe on Wednesday and it would be fair to say he wasn't
A GLORIOUS few days lie ahead in the shape of next week's Cheltenham Festival but today's racing isn't exactly mundane with the ultra competitive Imperial Cup taking centre stage at Sandown. A maximum field of 24 face the starter and plenty can be given
The England women's rugby team look to continue their quest to claim a sixth successive Six Nations when they entertain Scotland at Twickenham tomorrow. After wins over Wales, Italy and France they top the group with a 100 per cent record. It is the
BLAYDON will make a late decision over whether to include Andrew Baggett against his former club, Wharfedale, at Crow Trees today. After slipping into trouble through eight defeats on the trot, Blaydon have two successive home games in which victories
Martin Johnson has placed England on a war footing ahead of tomorrow's Calcutta Cup showdown with a ‘‘desperate'' and winless Scotland side at Twickenham. England, unbeaten after three matches, are on the Grand Slam trail for the first time since
The Lawrence Dallaglio column: With three games down and just two to go, Martin Johnson and his backroom staff will be delighted with the way things are going. England sit pretty at the top of the 2011 RBS 6 Nations standings, with just Scotland
HE might have been signed to add some much-needed experience to the Middlesbrough defence, but goalkeeper Paul Smith claims he could only be at the halfway stage of his footballing career. Smith, who signed on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest
AFTER being named Sports Personality of the Year at the Sport Newcastle Awards on Monday night, Magpies captain Kevin Nolan insists he still has a lot to achieve on Tyneside. The skipper played a big part in guiding Newcastle to promotion in their Championship
SUNDERLAND have confirmed they will sign Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady on a permanent deal in the summer. The 22-year-old has been on loan at the Stadium of Light since last summer and, after impressing boss Steve Bruce, the club have contacted
We asked The Legends: After Sunderland's battling 0-0 draw at the Emirates do you believe that they can now push on and gain a European spot? MICKY HORSWILL Yes I think they've got a big chance, especially with the players coming back into the squad
Merouane Zemmama's late winner against Derby on Tuesday gave Middlesbrough some breathing space above the Championship relegation zone and now six points clear of the bottom three, Tony Mowbray's charges have been nudged out to 12/1 with Stan James for
WITH back-to-back home games to come, Mick Wadsworth is more than happy with the position his Hartlepool United side sits right now, but he hopes to be even more satisfied come Tuesday evening. Pools meet Plymouth at Victoria Park this afternoon, with
Ever since the World Cup, Fabio Capello has been transformed from the saviour of English football to a lame duck manager who people can’t wait to see the back of. Capello is ferociously vilified in the press and some sections of English support, still
STEPHANIE Proud ripped up the form book to claim 200m backstroke gold at the British Gas Championships and book her ticket to Shanghai this summer. The former European Junior champion clocked 2:09.41minutes to leave European champion Lizzie Simmonds
THE mother of a West Auckland man who lives in Sendai, the scene of today's devasting Tsunami, has spoken of her relief that he and his wife are safe. Charlie Wiggins has lived in Japan for five years. His mother Erika Lucas, was watching
Fans of Crufts can be top dog at home with some classic canine accessories, says Gabielle Fagan. AS Crufts, the annual celebration of our four-legged friends, kicks off on March 10, Eve Kelly, editor of homes andbargains.co.uk, reveals the doggy
Renowned for its marshes and beautiful white horses, the Camargue is also home to a different kind of bull fighting where the animals are the stars, as Gavin Englebrecht discovers. IT is the bellow of a bull that means business. Emanating from the
The traditional career break for most university leavers involves spending time on beaches at tropical locations across the world. David Roberts meets Clare Apps, who opted for a gap year with a difference TO unwind after a hard day’s work
A beautiful barn conversion in East Arrathorne, North Yorkshire is up for sale. Ruth Addicott takes a look inside. TWO years ago, The Granary was a dilapidated barn which had once been home to dog kennels. Today, it is barely recognisable, having
They went to sea in a Sieve, they did In a Sieve they went to sea; In spite of all their friends could say, On a winter’s morn, on a stormy day, In a Sieve they went to sea! – Edward Lear, The Jumblies AS longer-serving readers might imagine, the
VILLAGERS have launched a campaign to save their leisure centre, saying it would be a travesty if it closed. Coxhoe’s Linden Centre is one of six facing the axe under Durham County Council cuts aimed at saving £1.1m a year. Tonight, more than 50 villagers
Refresh your make-up bag, and your tresses, by taking inspiration from London Fashion Week. Lisa Haynes goes backstage. CATWALK shows aren’t just about the clothes. Behind every collection there’s a story, an inspiration or a muse who dictates
Latin-inspired fitness craze Zumba has taken the North-East by storm. Ruth Addicott looks at the impact it’s had on one health club and the lives of its members. AMERICAN fitness craze Zumba has had people working up a sweat for some time now, but
Want a sneak preview of the standout looks for next season? Lisa Haynes takes a seat on the front row at London Fashion Week. WHERE else do you get Hollywood’s biggest names, glossy magazines’ elite and the Prime Minister’s wife gathering in
THE play begins with a rag-tag clown standing in a shower of light uttering a mess of language; a mixture of French, English, Spanish and total gibberish. He’s joined by an eye-bashing bunch of circus-style clowns who race around like idiots
A NEW generation of youngsters are enjoying a youth club in Hunwick which was resurrected by two sisters who attended a similar group in the 1980s. The club, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, has about 100 members. They attend weekly
HAS David Cameron gone stark raving mad? Libya’s civil war is a domestic matter for Libya to sort out – not British troops. These countries in the Middle East are trying to win some form of democracy. People are prepared to take to the streets.
CHRIS WHITE seems to have taken my letter about ghosts the wrong way (HAS, March 5). I simply based my letter on my own personal experiences. My colleagues and I from Northern Ghost Investigations are a level headed bunch of ghost hunters. The
THE Lib Dems finished a distant sixth in the by-election at Barnsley Central, a seat where they came second to Labour at the General Election in May. If this doesn’t get the message through to Nick Clegg, who tells us not to “write off” his party
I AGREE with Alan Hamilton (HAS, Mar 5) that you can’t put the life of an animal before that of a human being, but what would we do without charities like Animal Aid or the RSPCA? Human life is precious, but surely animals have a right to life
Newsround Special: The Real Tracy Beaker (BBC1, 4.30pm) Hidden Treasures Of Indian Art With Griff Rhys Jones (BBC2, 9pm) The Kindness Of Strangers (BBC4, 7.30pm) AS the nation’s most famous foster kid, Tracy Beaker introduced thousands of children
A FAMOUS “evolutionary cosmologist” visited a school. He was shown a student’s model (mechanical) of the solar system which, at the touch of a button, sprang into action, aping the functioning of the real thing with astonishing precision and sophistication
THE first of March was a day of good news. It was announced that train building was to return to Aycliffe just days after the news that steel making was to return to Redcar, and there is a strong possibility of a new potash mine near Whitby. That
I WAS amazed to see that a pancake race in Bishop Auckland was cancelled due to health and safety fears that the automatilc bollard in Back Bondgate may fail and allow traffic into the street and thereby cause an accident (Echo, Mar 8). What’s
CONGRATULATIONS on the success of The Northern Echo’s campaign to save our forests. Hopefully, the Government consultation will highlight a range of issues required – including long-term planning (in decades, rather than the length of a parliament
HAS anyone noticed the resemblance between TV chef Ed Baines and actor Steven Segal. Both big and hunky. Mrs P Curley, Bishop Middleham.
WE could see tents springing up all over the country for the homeless and all the immigrants living rough. They have so little money to get by on, what alternative do they have? A lot of people would have a better lifestyle being looked after
THE Durham Amateur Football Trust would like to thank everyone who supported the Jimmy McMillan Film Evening, in St Catherine’s Community Centre, on March 8, particularly St Catherine’s for the use of the hall and Crook Library for hosting an
AS a trade union secretary, an increasing amount of my time is spent advising members how to deal with redundancy. Redundancies are having a devastating economic, social and personal effect on hard-working people in both the public and private
IT has almost become a national pastime to criticise MPs in the wake of the Westminster expenses scandal. But there are times when we should reflect on how difficult it can be to be a politician. For example, we have sympathy for the position of
EVERY office has one. They’re the curse of the workplace: the individual who never does their own job properly, but is always telling you how to do yours. Governments are like that irritant when it comes to policing. They don’t know the difference
COUNCILLORS will visit the site of a controversial proposed access road for a golf club. At a meeting held on Tuesday at the town hall, Darlington Borough Council's planning committee voted to visit Sparrow Hall Drive and conduct a second traffic
A SENIOR councillor has accused his opponents of misleading the public after they likened local government debt to credit card borrowing. The row broke out after Darlington Conservatives used a photograph of a giant credit card in their campaign to
FUNDING has been released for a plan which aims to help Darlington's economic growth while supporting environmentally-friendly transport. Councillors approved the release of £2.5m to upgrade the bus route network under the Third Local Transport Plan
CLEARER information will bemade available on how personal budgets work as the system is rolled out across the region. Councillors who looked at the system, which lets adults using social services decide how they want the money allocated to them to
A MAJOR project to revitalise Darlington's economy could be delayed because of a Government decision to abolish regional development agencies, says a senior councillor. Darlington Borough Council leader John Williams said the dissolution of One North
PLANS to build a site for travellers in a rural location near Darlington have been rejected after a community united in opposition. The plans for a site at Brafferton were for three touring caravans with stables, tack room and amenity block. But
A CONTROVERSIAL school admissions policy has been changed after it was found to penalise some children living in rural wards. As the changes were approved this week for the 2012-13 academic year,borough councillors were told problems placing
SHOTGUN killer Raoul Moat's two henchmen were facing long jail sentences tonight for their roles in his murderous rampage. Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan were convicted of conspiring with Moat before, during and after he shot three people, killing one and
As the man behind North- East gangster movie Get Carter returns to celebrate its 40th birthday, Steve Pratt revisits the iconic locations and recalls the drama behind the making of the film FORTY years ago, Michael Caine’s gangster Jack Carter
FITNESS groups, after-school clubs and training providers have all been given a boost from a £40,000 cash pot that benefits disabled children. Durham County Council and Making Changes Together group have been working with parents to award the money
Two to three hundred bodies have been found in a north-eastern coastal area of Japan after a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami. The bodies were found in Sendai city, the closest major city to the epicentre, say police. The magnitude
YOUNGSTERS have built a giant Lego city at school as part of a fun project as they study about the community. The Great Smeaton Primary School pupils built the structure during a fun day on March 11 with the help of staff. The 58 pupils and eight staff
Japanese authorities have flashed a warning of more aftershocks and tsunamis in the wake of this morning's mega quake. The country's Meteorological Agency is urging people in quake-hit areas to evacuate to higher ground immediately for fear
AN airfield owner claims critics have no evidence to oppose his long-running scheme to extend the venture as they go before a planning inspector. Martin Scott has sought to develop Bagby Airfield, near Thirsk, for around four years but he has run into
COACHES at a swimming team are celebrating a hat-trick of awards achieved in just a few months. The Thirsk White Horse Swim Team is the first Hambleton-based team to get Swim21 accreditation at teaching, foundation and skill development levels
Second Division Gillford Park have been given the all clear to finish the season on their home ground. Gillford have been in dispute with their landlords all season, and it has only been thanks to the intervention of barrister Richard Bloomfield in recent
MOTORISTS face lengthy delays as a bridge which spans the A1 linking rural villages is knocked down as part of a major £318m roadworks scheme. The Highways Agency is set to shut and knock down the current bridge which spans the A1 near to Londonderry
A CONCERT to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible is to be held later this month as part of a 60-date nationwide tour. The Bible In Verse and Voice is to be staged at Durham Cathedral on Wednesday, March 23 at 7.30pm
A RETIRED councillor who served his community for more than 40 years has been honoured by his former colleagues. Healeyfield Parish Council has awarded its first ever honorary freeman title to long-serving parish councillor Arthur Lambert at
Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific were braced for a destructive tsunami today caused by the massive Japanese earthquake. Tsunami sirens were sounded and coastal areas were evacuated in Hawaii, where the first waves were expected to hit
Thousands of people are fleeing their homes in north-eastern Indonesia after officials warned that a tsunami up to six feet high could hit coastal areas. Some jumped in cars and motorcycles and headed to high ground as sirens blared. Others
BARRIE MAYFIELD is trying to find family who come from Darlington. Mr Mayfield, who is a first generation New Zealander, would like to hear from the Bowman and Kitching families. His maternal grandfather, John William Bowman, was born in Darlington
FOUR young debaters will represent the region in a national competition, after winning a local heat last week. Teenagers from Durham Johnston School, in Durham City, were named Debating Matters champions for the North-East and Yorkshire following a contest
ALEX Tait has warned his Newcastle Falcons team-mates to beware a Harlequins backlash when they attempt to secure an LV Cup final place tonight. Having claimed an emphatic 33-18 win over Quins at Kingston Park last Friday, Falcons will be looking
DURHAM are still hopeful of having a fully fit pace battery for the start of the season, despite Liam Plunkett's early return from the West Indies. While Graham Onions is bowling again after his back operation, Plunkett has suffered a thigh strain while
STEPH Proud is only too aware that two's company and three's a crowd - and she's vowed to make sure she does not get left out in the cold at the British Gas Swimming Championships in Manchester. The 22-year-old former European junior champion cruised
The jury has been sent out for a second day in the trial of two men accused of being gunman Raoul Moat's henchmen. Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan deny helping the killer stay one step ahead of the law during his rampage last July. Ness and Awan told Newcastle
MIDDLESBROUGH have pulled out of the Yorkshire Cup as they concentrate on trying to survive in National Three North. They will also have to persuade back row duo Carl Kirwan and Rory Duff to give their all for the club in next Saturday's game
Jaguar's XKR-S, unveiled recently at the Geneva Motor Show, is set to make its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Press Day on March 17. The event will mark the start of a partnership with Goodwood that will see Jaguar celebrate the 50th anniversary
ONE of Darlington’s reserve strikers will be handed a chance to impress in the first leg of the FA Trophy semi-finals tomorrow. Gateshead visit The Northern Echo Arena in the second part of the trilogy of games between the sides being played
Here is a timeline of some of the worst tsunami disasters through the years. October 2010 A volcanic eruption and tsunami kill more than 500 people in Indonesia. February 2010 An 8.8-magnitude quake shakes Chile, generating
THE DALES PACT The Dales PACT meeting was held on Monday 28th February 2011 at 7pm in Romaldkirk Village Hall. Last month’s priority: * To target suspicious scrap vehicles travelling on the Dales roads and into farmyards believed involved in
HAVING spent three successful seasons at Barcelona, Sunderland midfielder Bolo Zenden was delighted to see his former club reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday night, writes Scott Wilson. But while Arsenal were no match for
FOR the second summer in succession, Bolo Zenden admits he faces a difficult decision about whether or not to sign a new contract with Sunderland. After briefly questioning whether it would be better to leave the Stadium of Light in search
ALAN Pardew is happy with Hatem Ben Arfa's progress as he continues to recover from a broken leg, but the Newcastle boss will resist the temptation to rush the winger back unnecessarily this season. Ben Arfa broke his leg in last October's
A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan's northeastern coast, triggering a ten meter tsunami that has devastated parts of the country. The quake - the sixth largest ever recorded - produced a wall of mud and water which swept away cars
leaders Newton Aycliffe face a big obstacle in their charge towards the first division when they go to Team Northumbria. The visitors need another three wins to ensure promotion in only their second season in the league, and manager Alan Oliver will
AN MP has written to the leader of Durham County Council calling for an economic development group to be restructured to offer more transparency. In a letter to Simon Henig, Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman said she had been lobbied by many local
A SCHOOLGIRL won a singing competition only days after being rushed 180 miles in the hope of a life-saving liver transplant. Mica Newcomb’s first reaction when told a liver was available in Birmingham was concern that she would miss the competition
CASH-STRAPPED students are to be offered free bus travel, haircuts, gym membership and cheap meals in a pioneering move to encourage poorer students to remain in education. Middlesbrough College is thought to be one of the first in the country
A £30m government cash injection to help revive former mining communities - including in the North-East - was welcomed yesterday. One former Labour minister said he was pleased that the coalition was not "turning its back on the coalfields, as
THE region's leading university should have its funding cut as a punishment for taking "blood money" from Iran, the government was told yesterday. Robert Halfon, a Conservative MP, also demanded an urgent investigation into Durham University's
£20M PLANS to transform a high street have been unveiled, barely months after it was judged to have no future. Stockton town centre had become a victim of the economic downturn and it was described as beyond redemption at a planning meeting earlier
DURHAM Tees Valley Airport chiefs claim it is “fighting back” after stemming almost three years of falling passenger numbers. Following 30 consecutive months of decline, which saw the airport hit a 35-year low last year, provisional figures suggest
A POST-GRADUATE student jailed by the Iranian authorities has had his sentence cut by two years and is to be released later this month for a period of leave. Ehsan Abdoh-Tabrizi, a PhD student at Durham University, was imprisoned in Tehran for
A POLICE investigation is under way after claims that a teacher was shot in the back by a pupil with an air rifle at a school. The incident is alleged to have happened at The Wensleydale School, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, on Friday, as students
FORMER Middlesbrough footballer Stewart Downing told the club he wanted to stay, despite his agent saying the midfielder wanted a transfer, a court heard yesterday. The 26-year-old’s former agent, Ian Elliott, emailed the club before the end of
DARLINGTON Football Club could return to its roots if a campaign to save a historic sports ground is successful. A group of prominent figures in Darlington has launched a last-minute effort to stop a housing development at Feethams – the Quakers
RUSSIAN demand for North-East built vehicles has helped drive record values of exports. Figures released yesterday showed exports from the region in the last three months of 2010 totalled £3.3bn, the highest ever quarterly figure for the North East.
DURHAM Tees Valley Airport chiefs claim the beleaguered facility is "fighting back" after stemming almost three years of falling passenger numbers to report an upturn in traffic. Following 30 consecutive months of decline, which saw the airport hit
THE vice-chairman of one of the country’s oldest agricultural shows quit after his verbal attack on a folk band was blamed for a near-riot in the beer tent. Respected farmer John George William Stobbs found himself in court yesterday after
A HISTORIC waterworks has had its roof stripped of lead. The repair bill at Tees Cottage Pumping Station, in Darlington, could cost thousands, while the raiders are likely to receive only a few hundred pounds scrap value for the lead.
SECURITY at a North-East jail that houses some of the UK’s most dangerous prisoners has improved, inspectors said today. Top-security Frankland Prison, near Durham City, has been the scene of a string of high-profile attacks, including Soham
THE £62,000 Panama apartment owned by fraudster Anne Darwin has been sold, it has been revealed. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is expecting the money from the sale of the property to be returned to the UK shortly, having already seized
WORKERS at a car parts maker in the region have been reassured that a proposed takeover involving a Spanish company will not jeopardise jobs. ThyssenKrupp Tallent, the biggest employer in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is reportedly in talks over
Bishop Auckland manager Colin Myers says that his team face a “real six pointer” against fellow strugglers Stokesley at Heritage Park today. West Allotment’s sudden resurgence of three straight wins has dropped Bishops and Stokesley into the bottom four
Darlington RA are hoping for a bumper crowd for their local derby against Northallerton at Brinkburn Road tonight in the STL Northern League Division Two. The RA are having a good season without any worries of falling into the relegation battle, and
