STEVE Harmison bowled Durham back into the game at Headingley with his third five-wicket haul in his last four championship games, only for Andrew Gale’s obdurate innings of 84 to put Yorkshire back on top. Ian Blackwell finally bowled Gale then
A WOMAN motorcyclist killed in a collision with three other vehicles has been named as Alison Maughan, who was 47 and from the Chilton area of Durham. Ms Maughan died after the accident on the A68, half a mile north of the Harperley Hall
THE ancient haymeadows of Northumberland National Park are in full bloom now. Meadows with hundreds of flowers can be seen in the Upper Coquet Valley, in the North Tyne Valley and at Greenlee Lough National Nature Reserve, north of Hadrian’s
Steve Pratt gets a taste of the Balearics in Manchester’s Albert Square. THE weather wasn’t exactly Mediterranean, but the atmosphere was. And people in Albert Square have never look so cheerful, mainly because this wasn’t soap’s most miserable
A priest whose friends wagered he wouldn’t last three years has celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination. THE problem with Stewart Irwin was that his career paths always reached dead ends. Nothing – the catering, the bank, the hospital
CHRISTOPHER Lee, the man famed as Dracula, Count Dooku in Star Wars and Saruman in The Lord Of The Rings, admits that he always wanted to be an opera singer. Knighted this year, after making more than 220 films, the imposing 87-year-old, 6ft 5in star
Ben Freeman talks to Viv Hardwick about how he’s revived his career after spending two years facing a rape charge in Barbados. OKAY, so we know where Ben Freeman, the former Emmerdale ladykiller, stands in terms of casting when it comes to new musical
LAST year he sang Abba in hit movie musical Mamma Mia! and romanced Keira Knightley in the costume drama The Duchess. Now actor Dominic Cooper has been knocking on people’s doors trying to sell them mortgages. It was all part of his research to
ALL seats were taken when famed guitarist, producer and recording act Ry Cooder came to the area on tour for the first time, an experience people will be reliving in their minds for many years. Wearing a trademark Hawaiian shirt, Cooder, in hornrimed
GIVEN there is no dialogue, the alarm bells started ringing when the start of the show was delayed for a couple of days due to “script amendments”. What that usually means is that it’s been panned by critics and audience alike and the red pen
I WROTE to inform Durham County Council on June 12 that grass cutting at Trimdon Station and Deaf Hill seems to have gone down in standard, but have not yet had a reply. After it has been cut by the county, people are coming out with their lawn
WHEN our new unitary authority for County Durham was imposed upon us we were assured that it would work unceasingly to provide us with improved services at savings of £21m – ie, more for less (oft quoted ). How true: awarding the new Durham City
I TOTALLY agree with Peter Hill (HAS, July 7) regarding the death of the two police dogs left in a car parked at Nottinghamshire Police headquarters during the recent heatwave. However, I would like to go a step further and see the officer responsible
RE businesswoman Shirley McKaskie’s successful six-year battle for damages over being left brain-damaged and confined to a wheelchair after being attacked by cows while walking her puppy on a public footpath through a field near Penrith, Cumbria
AUDIT Commission chief executive Steve Bundred, who probably earns more than £2,000 per week, has recommended a pay freeze for public sector workers – sentiments echoed in your Comment column (Echo, July 6). All trade unionists, whether public
THE death earlier this month of Robert McNamara, US Defence Secretary for seven years during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations in the Sixties, has again reminded us about the futility of war. Mr McNamara not only launched the Vietnam war
RE your letter, headed Shame on Darlington, from Judith Howell (HAS, July 1), who was shocked by the state of the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church, Woodland Road, Darlington, during a visit last month. The headline should have read: Shame on
STOCKTON Sixth Form College was one of a number of UK colleges which had projects put on hold despite having everything ready for work to start on a new £22m building when the Department for Education and Skills ran out of money. At a Westminster
On a visit to the region yesterday, Tony Blair talks exclusively to Chris Lloyd about world peace, climate change and conflict in Africa, via passing his driving test, dancing lessons and his first kiss. AS the big black BMW – with an air conditioning
THE deaths of more British soldiers in Afghanistan within hours of each other has again brought home the extreme dangers faced by our brave troops. A total of 184 British soldiers have now died in Afghanistan since 2001, including 15 this month
THE dictionary has been extremely well thumbed this week as I’ve tried to find meaning in recent events. For example, Cleveland Police defended giving their chief constable a £24,000-a-year “honorarium” by saying it was his reward for reducing crime
COMMONWEALTH Games international Nick McCormick hopes to turn the clock back four years when he races over 1,500m in Birmingham tomorrow, writes FRANK JOHNSON. But while the 27-year-old Morpeth Harrier is looking to cross the line first, he has
PLAYING at royalty, recent columns have recalled how HRH the Maharajah Jam Singh of Nawangar – Ranji to his friends – became something of a cricket fixture in the North Yorkshire village of Gilling East, near Helmsley. Ranji, the first Indian
OLYMPIC bronze medalist Tony Jeffries made it three from three in his professional career with a first-round stoppage of Belarus’ Ilya Shakura to once again delight his home fans. The Sunderland super-middleweight, who had won his first two pro
MIDDLESBROUGH long jumper Chris Tomlinson has admitted his Beijing Olympic heartbreak is now just a distant memory as he bids to book his place on the plane to the World Championships in Berlin. The 28-year-old has endured a torrid 12 months
RINALDO NOCENTINI claimed the yellow jersey on the day race favourite Alberto Contador flexed his muscles in the Tour de France’s first mountain stage. France’s Brice Feillu won stage seven, a 224km hike from Barcelona to Andorra, but it is what
RETIEF Goosen is not known as a comic, but he is sure he gave his playing partners a laugh at Loch Lomond yesterday by making a total mess of his opening shot. “A low, thinny one going right – probably not even 180 yards off the tee,” said Goosen
SERIOUS Attitude skilfully atoned for her disappointing effort in the 1000 Guineas with an uplifting triumph in the Cuisine De France Summer Stakes at York. Rae Guest’s filly won the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes as a juvenile, but blatantly
RIGGINS has looked a seriously progressive individual this season and can continue on an upward curve in the 50th John Smith’s Cup at York. Every man and his dog wagered on him making a winning comeback at Newmarket in May, but he failed to get
Following last season’s championship winning campaign could have proved a tough call for Durham. Instead, they have taken on the champions’ mantle and continue to set the pace at the top of the table. Tim Wellock reviews an impressive season so
LEWIS Hamilton pulled off a major surprise by setting the fastest time in practice for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix. The world champion had the number one alongside his name to match that on his car for only the second time in practice in what
Billingham Town 0 Darlington 3. DEAN WINDASS grabbed two stunning goals at Bedford Terrace last night on his first appearance in a Quakers shirt. But while a superbly executed overhead kick and sublime 20-yard free-kick by the 40-year-old
REAL Madrid sporting director Miguel Pardeza insists Cesc Fabregas is not a target as the Spanish giants search for an alternative in case they cannot persuade Liverpool to part with Xabi Alonso. Reports in Spain suggested Madrid could turn to
NEWCASTLE UNITED are heading for another week of uncertainty. After five days’ training at Newcastle’s County Kildare base, caretaker manager Chris Hughton will oversee the Magpies’ first pre-season friendly of the summer against Shamrock Rovers
ASTON VILLA have been warned to forget about landing a Teesside treble by Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate after he insisted David Wheater is going nowhere. Following Boro’s drop out of the Premier League, Villa have been in touch with
STEVE BRUCE has been told by his managerial successor at Wigan Athletic that there is no chance of Lee Cattermole joining him at Sunderland. Roberto Martinez, the recently appointed Latics boss, confirmed last night that there had been an offer
Local league preview. CHESTER-LE-STREET face another major weekend of cricket as they continue their hunt for glory on several fronts. The new leaders of the Dukes NEPL begin with a league match against struggling Tynemouth this morning, and
NORTHALLERTON are all geared up to face the team of the moment today – while being in good form themselves. Town entertain a Marton team flying higher than it has done before, but they are also in the best form and mood that they have been all
ENGLAND again struggled to find a successful bowling strategy after their attack failed to halt Australia’s progress towards a crucial lead in the opening Ashes Test. Having been unable to make much of an impact on Australia’s top order during
IT must have occurred to Michael Gough that he could have done better than his victims when he gave out two top-order Durham batsmen for ducks as the champions succumbed for 178 at Headingley yesterday. In the unique situation of two Hartlepool-born
A SUPERB 139 from Australia captain Jodie Fields and 98 from debutante Rachael Haynes helped the tourists recover after a devastating opening spell from England’s Katherine Brunt on day one of the Women’s Ashes Test at New Road, Worcester. Yorkshire
FARM staff are celebrating the safe return of two rare residents. Workers at Tweddle Animal Farm, in Blackhall Colliery, east Durham, are planning a welcome home party after goeldi monkeys George and Mildred were found by officers. The rare animals
SHOOT the chief, and the rest will surrender. That might have been the way in those old Westerns, but as England found out at Cardiff, it is not the case when it comes to Australian cricketers. Captain Ricky Ponting finally succumbed for 150
MICHAEL CLARKE became the first dismissal under floodlights in Test cricket in Britain but only after boosting Australia’s position in the Ashes opener in Cardiff. Australia vice-captain Clarke gloved a catch down the leg-side during a short
POLICE hunting for missing university chef Claudia Lawrence yesterday searched four addresses near her home. Teams of police with sniffer dogs were involved in the searches. Investigators wearing plastic gloves spent the morning scouring a two-storey
A MOTHER who nearly lost her teenage son and daughter to measles has urged parents to have their children vaccinated. Gary Bridges and Billy-Jean Nicholson developed complications after both contracted the contagious illness. The warning
A WOMAN who has fought for 20 years for a controversial work of public art to be demolished has branded its £400,000 makeover “an absolute disgrace”. Councillor Joan Maslin has pledged to stay away from tomorrow’s official unveiling of the
THE FTSE 100 Index finished a lacklustre week on the back foot as worries over the resilience of US consumers hit stocks. The closely-watched Michigan consumer confidence index slid to its lowest level since March, which put US markets on the
EVALU8D Learning and Development, based in Darlington, is offering free healthchecks to businesses to help employers to get the most from their staff in the midst of recession. The company will use its behaviour analysis methods to determine
ONE of the last operational parts of the Paton and Baldwins manufacturing presence in Darlington is about to close, The Northern Echo has learned. The company’s former warehouse in the town, now run by Coats Crafts, is to be shut down, with its
A STOLEN 4x4 would not have crossed the central reservation of a motorway, killing a father-of-two coming in the opposite direction, had it not collided with a police patrol car, an inquest heard yesterday. The Mitsubishi L200, driven by Barry
A PLUMBER from the region will fly to Canada to represent the country in an international trade skill competition. Christopher Lonsdale, 22, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, is part of a 26- strong team from across the UK taking part in WorldSkills
THE winner of this year’s If We Can, You Can challenge has been officially crowned at a celebration event. Esther Dingley was named as a Face for Entrepreneurship at an event staged by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum. Ms Dingley runs PostGraduate
POLICE are becoming increasingly concerned about the disappearance of Angela Laley, 52, who has been missing from her home in Pickering, North Yorkshire, since last Thursday. Ms Laley is 5ft 8in, slim, with short brown hair. She was last seen
BRASS acts will take to the streets of Darlington today, as part of Brass: Durham International Festival. Beat ’n’ Blow, Oompah Brass and Sosnak will play in the Cornmill shopping centre, with performances also in Queen Street and the Market Square
TEACHERS are turning detectives to track down young sporting stars of the Sixties. Northallerton College – formerly the town’s Grammar School, in North Yorkshire – is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. And staff plan to mark the milestone
A GROUP of youngsters with serious illnesses were given the chance to forget their problems with a sailing day. North-East sail training charity, Ocean Youth Trust North-East, gave the teenagers from The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough
A SUB-POSTMASTER who stole more than £200,000 from takings to pay off a member of his own community who was threatening him, has walked free from court. Ajmair Singh was told by a judge that the “wholly exceptional” circumstances of the case
CHART-TOPPING girl band the Sugababes wowed fans with a concert at a North- East cricket ground last night. The girls, who have sold more than 5.5 million albums and two million singles in the UK, played at the Riverside Stadium, the home of
A PROLIFIC burglar who travelled across the North-East to carry out high-value raids was yesterday locked up for ten years. Keith Baker stole £40,000-worth of goods from two houses in Darlington to sell at markets and car boot sales.
TWO street thefts in a town are believed to have been carried out by the same man. The first happened at 10.30am on Thursday in Selbourne Terrace, in the Northgate area of Darlington. A woman in her early 20s, who was returning home
Is 79-year-old Theo the oldest Thai boxer in the world? AS well as packing his pension, Theo Marsden packs a mean punch. For the 79-year-old is thought to be the oldest Thai boxer on the planet. While most people his age are at
A MAN who spent two weeks in a coma after a fireball attack on his doorstep spoke last night of the terrifying moment he thought he was going to die. Michael Webb suffered severe burns when he was doused in petrol and a blaze was started at his
STARS of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing will give a celebrity boost to a North-East charity event. Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag will give a 45-minute dance performance to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Grace House Children’s Hospice appeal
DURHAM UNIVERSITY is to be the first in Britain and only the third in the world to run a “faith and globalisation” course inspired by Tony Blair. The former Prime Minister was back in the North-East yesterday to make the announcement, and to
A SENIOR judge has criticised police after an attempted murder trial collapsed because officers made an illegal search of a solicitor’s home. The five defendants accused of plotting to blast a man in the back with a shotgun walked free from Newcastle
