Aussie Mike Johnston cannot wait to show his Colchester and East Essex team-mates just how good he really is. And the eager North Perth all-rounder is hoping that Chingford, tomorrow's Shepherd Neame Essex League visitors to Castle Park, will be the first
A top level crime summit meeting to thrash out an action plan to catch vandals and hooligans who commit crimes and intimidate people on a Witham housing shopping precinct is being held this week. Police, shopkeepers, councillors and council officials,
Representatives of all Jewson Football League clubs will gather at Ely City's Unwin Sports Ground tomorrow (Saturday) for their annual meeting. Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion
Residents the Dunmow area are preparing for a memorable mid-summer's eve, when the Millennium Flame, used by the Queen to light a beacon on New Year's Eve, is welcomed into the town. Sir Alan Haselhurst , deputy speaker of the House of Commons, will receive
Chelmsford Town Police Unit (TPU) issued another warning to shoppers and shops this week to be on the lookout for gangs of pickpockets and opportunist thieves. The warning applies particularly to charity shops. Gangs three or four-strong, including women
An 80-year-old woman was left without a vital phone link for almost two weeks - despite BT's pledge to tackle the problem. Elsie Nott, of Stevenson Way, Wickford, suffers diabetes, is partially-sighted and virtually housebound. BT finally fixed the problem
A car firm's plans for expansion have led to Basildon being hailed as the "silicon valley for the motor industry". The thriving district already has Ford's Dunton research and engineering centre, Ford suppliers MSX International and Visteon as residents
Heard the one about the post office that ran out of money? It may sound like a joke - but it was no laughing matter for pensioners and mums with young children who faced a long hike to get to the next nearest office. The post office in Main Road, Hockley
A major investigation has been launched after burglars unbolted two safes from a Maldon supermarket and drove them away. They struck at Budgens in the High Street, breaking in through the front door. Police believe they jemmied the lock to get in some
Young chatterbox Luke Adams astounded his classmates when he completed a sponsored silence challenge. The ordeal was doubly difficult for Luke as he is hyperactive and finds it tricky to keep quiet. His dad, Tony, revealed he was gobsmacked when the nine-year-old
Forget tying the knot in a downmarket Elvis chapel in Vegas. One restaurant could be bringing Hollywood to your doorstep - via Thundersley. Bosses at the Hollywood Restaurant in Shipwrights Drive have applied to Essex County Council for a licence to hold
Hopes have been dashed that plans to redevelop Witham's Newlands precinct would include a cinema. At a question time event held as part of the Witham Millennium festival last Tuesday, residents voted in large numbers that the one thing they wanted to
Where is our tapestry? This is the question on the lips of hundreds of disappointed schoolchildren across the district, who all put hours of work into producing a giant tapestry for the Millennium Dome. Some 1,700 schools across the country bought £58
A man who "died" on an operating table 20 years ago now celebrates being brought back to life by helping others. In his latest venture, indefatigable Jack Smith, 78, of Selwyn Road, Southend, cycled 300 miles along the Great Wall of China to raise more
Les and Elizabeth Rookes don't have to plough through endless holiday guides to find their dream destination. For them there's only one choice. The Cambridge couple have visited Clacton every year for more than 50 years and would not go anywhere else.
A young paperboy was shot at by a youth with an air rifle in Galleywood on Thursday evening causing a red welt on his side. Police say one of two older youths, aged about 15, brandishing the air-weapon approached within ten feet of the 13-year-old boy
Kidney swap couple Mike and June Seymour have reported clean bills of health just six months after undergoing major surgery. The pair, of Villa Road, Stanway, are making steady progress after the most turbulent of starts to the new millennium. Desperate
Unions have ripped apart plans to axe ambulance stations across Essex in a damning report. The study, commissioned by Unison and the GMB and published today (Friday), claims the proposed closure of 12 of the 31 stations in the county, would do nothing
A report into how 39,000 gallons of waste water leaked over fields and roads from the Stambridge sewage plant has been delayed. Environment Agency bosses have been interviewing officials from plant operator Anglian Water and others since launching a probe
There was a sweet scent of victory for the Hammers who gained revenge for defeat at the hands of the Monarchs two weeks previously with a magnificent fighting display after they lost the services of Sal Clouting. Their latest recruit had completed just
Witham rally driver Neil Wood, partnered by co-driver Justin Imber, of Braintree, added to their reputation as one of the most consistent and successful Pioneer Daihatsu Rally Challenge crews with two excellent results. The first came at the non-championship
Chelmsford City have launched their own Visa card which will raise the club's profile nationwide and also raise cash for the running of the Dr Martens League's promotion campaign this coming season. Club chairman, Peter Stroud, this week unveiled the
Colchester United's pre-season friendly against Southend United is definitely off, U's manager Steve Whitton has confirmed. U's boss Steve Whitton on Wednesday confirmed the match - scheduled for Sunday, August 6 - has been kicked into touch by the Shrimpers
Basildon boxer Dean Doyle has been pencilled in to fight on the Prince Naseem Hamed world title bill on August 19. The Hamed contest is due to take place in America but super-middleweight Dean is hoping to fight on a transatlantic undercard at a venue
A £2.2 million lottery grant will transform Chelmsford's Melbourne Park Athletics Centre into one of the county's top sporting venues. The grant to Chelmsford Council is the biggest ever awarded in Essex by the Sport England Lottery Fund. The windfall
There must be something in the North Sea air. Eastcliff Avenue might seem just like any other normal street in Clacton, but it's beginning to forge a bit of a reputation for producing talented young footballers. For the last five years it has been home
The PPP County Championship Division Two table has a good look about it. Essex are riding high in second place just ten points adrift of leaders Worcestershire as we set out to achieve a third successive win from our current four-day outing against Glamorgan
Hadleigh will be looking to keep up their recent good run when they travel to bottom club Chelmsford tomorrow (Saturday). They welcome back skipper Steve Brown and hope to add to Chelmsford's misery as they build-up for the following week's clash with
When Braintree Town report for pre-season training in a couple of week's time there is likely to be a strong Maldon Town element included in the new faces. It appears that Iron manager Ben Embery has been back to his previous club to recruit some of his
A judge ruling in a nuisance neighbour case declared people should be pleased not to live in the same street. He branded Northview Drive and Fleetwood Avenue "the most litigious corner of Westcliff" after handing down a court injunction to Dave Batter
A school has earned its place on a national roll of honour for helping pupils break free of the poverty trap. St Bernard's High School in Milton Road, Westcliff, is listed among 50 British schools achieving excellent exam results despite some pupils coming
Rail passengers on the Southend to Fenchurch Street line are set to benefit from a further £20.5million boost, it has emerged. The surprise cash injection comes hot on the heels of a £300million investment programme for a new fleet of trains and a further
An "overwhelming" number of staff registered a vote of no confidence in their headteacher leading to his suspension, we can reveal. Paul Betts of Barstable School, Basildon, has been suspended pending a full investigation into concerns over management
INVENTORS Charles Sloan and Martine Benson could be in line for a multi-million pound fortune - after coming up with a device which stops people falling off step-ladders. Charles and Martine came up with the novel stabilising idea for the ladders and
Farming and tradition blended the technology of new millennium for the 42nd Essex Shows. Thousands of fans went to the county show at Great Leighs near Braintree to enjoy the sun and the attractions on offer. Visitors to the showground at the weekend
Farming and tradition blended the technology of new millennium for the 42nd Essex Shows. Thousands of fans went to the county show at Great Leighs near Braintree to enjoy the sun and the attractions on offer. Visitors to the showground at the weekend
A new system of marking car parks on a housing estate costs next to nothing - but could save lives. The 26 car parks around the edges of the Five Links estate in Laindon have been marked with giant letters. Kick-started by the police, the scheme saw two-metre
FARMING and tradition blended the technology of new millennium for the 42nd Essex Shows. Thousands of fans went to the county show at Great Leighs near Braintree to enjoy the sun and the attractions on offer. Visitors to the showground at the weekend
Ronnie Irani maintained his season's fine form to lead Essex to the respectability of 223-6 from 107 overs against Glamorgan on a Cardiff pitch where every run had to be chiselled out. It was so lacking in pace that it became something of an achievement
Southend Borough Council and Essex County Cricket Club are in talks aimed at saving the town's county cricket festival. A cloud of uncertainty has hung over the event since the Echo revealed earlier this year that Essex was considering the future of the
Major celebrations will take place on Sunday June 26 to mark the founding of South Woodham Ferrers new town - exactly 25 years ago. A big family fun day is being staged in Queen Elizabeth Square and highlight of the afternoon will be a prize draw to see
A well-known Maldon cyclist died on Sunday during a club run, despite life-savings efforts by friends and ambulance crew. John Rosbrook, 60, of Washington Road, a lifelong member of Chelmer Cycling Club, collapsed near the nature reserve at Coploe Hill
Making sure the good word doesn't fall on stoney ground, parishioners have been practising for a special garden service. The Rev Nigel Cooper, rector of Rivenhall and Silver End, will be hosting an outdoor service dedicated to gardens and gardeners in
These women made a real splash - all in the name of charity. They handed over a cheque for £105 to Dave Victor, headteacher of Lancaster special school in Prittlewell Chase, Southend. All the women attend aquatherapy sessions run by Ann Kingsbury at the
The watchdog Chelmsford Society has hailed the plans for the redevelopment of the former Bolingbroke & Wenley site in the town centre as a breath of architectural fresh air. The designs were exclusively revealed in the Essex Chronicle last week and
The final nail in the coffin of a landmark building has been hammered in by councillors who gave the green light for the bulldozers to move in. The historic former Ritz Cinema in Chapel Street, Billericay, is to be levelled and replaced with 14 flats,
A pub has been given the thumbs-up to provide music and dancing until 1am. The Lighthouse in Marine Parade East, Clacton, applied to change its public entertainment licence. Its former licence meant it could provide music and dancing from midday-11pm
A Chelmsford police officer who saved a woman threatening to jump from the sixth floor of a multi-storey car park has been commended for "acting bravely and decisively." Acting Sgt Chris Smith was presented with his Certificate of Commendation by Essex
A mother from Coggeshall whose son suffers from a rare bone disease has praised a drug which has helped his condition. Daniel Humphris, 14, who along with his twin brother Ben suffers from brittle bone disease and attends Honywood School, developed osteoporosis
Thousands of people headed to Great Leighs today (Friday) for the first day of the 42nd Essex County Show. Traffic queues built up on the roads leading to the show and organisers were confidently predicting a sizzling three days of fun in the sun. People
Firefighters are continuing industrial action today (Friday) following crisis talks. Fire Brigades\ Union representatives were in conference with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service management on Thursday but there was no breakthrough. Essex union members
A fourth Colchester-based Para has been diagnosed with malaria after serving in war-torn Sierra Leone. The soldier, who is a member of the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was diagnosed as suffering from the illness yesterday (Thursday). He is being
The first plans for Braintree's long-awaited community hospital are expected to be unveiled today (Friday). Final talks on the launch of the £4million project, to be developed at the existing William Julien Courtauld Hospital site in London Road, have
Osea Sailing Club, who have been homeless since their clubhouse burned down mysteriously six-and-a-half years ago, will stage their last-ever race tomorrow (Saturday). Many of the members, who have since joined other clubs in the area, will have an emotional
Chelmsford City have signed one of the most prolific non-league goal scorers in the South-East -- 31-year-old Steve Portway -- on a one -year contract. The much travelled striker, who has always been a leading goal scorer at all of his previous clubs,
Billericay Town boss Gary Calder hopes to have found the perfect recipe for success in the Ryman League Premier Division - by signing two players from Dagenham and Redbridge, the club which won the championship last season. Ex-Daggers to join the New
Friday night will be a big one for Romford middleweight Steve Roberts. The popular unbeaten former Southern Area title holder faces South African Dingann Thobela at The Royal National Hotel, Bloomsbury as they battle it out for the vacant WBF title on
Southend United boss Alan Little will begin his summer squad rebuilding by attempting to lure a new centre-half to Roots Hall. The Shrimpers chief, who has just returned from a family holiday in Cyprus, confirmed on Wednesday that he planned to hold talks
Kennedy 88 all out King John Old Boys 89-4 (King John won by six wickets) King John put the record straight on a 20-year hoodoo when they took a conclusive victory over old rivals Kennedy. On a sticky wicket, Kennedy were put into bat and soon paid the
Young people, mothers and the elderly can look forward to more freedom under new plans for a town community bus service. New proposals for the purchase of a community bus available for use by groups without private transport will be considered by Witham
Cinema fans were certainly left with that sinking feeling as a screening of movie blockbuster U-571 was hit by technical hitches. The Hollywood box-office smash is the tale of a group of American soldiers who capture a German U-boat and find the Enigma
Denise Reed led home a strong contingent of Springfield Striders in the Race for Life, at Hylands Park on Sunday. The course, which was obviously slightly longer than the advertised 5K, posed few problems for Denise as she finished fourth overall, in
Gary Werth, from Braintree, is on his way to Wembley, having won the opening Horse and Hound Foxhunter second round qualifying competition at the Forest Edge Equestrian Centre in Norfolk. His victory came aboard Koralla, an eight year old Dutch bred mare
Andrew Smith, of Broomfield, made an excellent showing at the National Dwarf Games in Peterborough, where former Olympic star Fatima Whitbread encouraged the athletes and presented the medals. Andrew won bronze medals in the javelin and shot putt and
Chelmsford Canoe Club held its second annual regatta on Saturday. The majority of the racing took place on the river Chelmer just in front of the Canoe club making it an 'easy to watch' event and visitors to the Meadows shopping centre also enjoyed the
On top of the world - that's 16-year-old Emma-Marie Elmes after hearing that Eastwood Mercedes dealership SMAC Continentental were to pay the £1,500 to enable her to compete in the World Karate Association Championships in the United States in September
A knee injury has scuppered Jason Rowland's dream of stepping into a Glasgow boxing ring to challenge for the IBF light welterweight championship of the world within days of the contest. Rowland, 29, who lives with his wife, Carrie, and daughters, Billie
Despite it being the close season, Heybridge Swifts manager Liam Cutbush has been hard at work as he aims to build a squad capable of challenging for a Ryman League Premier Division top six place next season. The team showed last year that at full strength
PREMIER DIVISION: Curtis scores 134 - and loses! There was some impressive cricket played at Coronation Park on Saturday, when Springfield entertained Aythorpe Roding. David Curtis smashed 134, and Jimmy Symonds contributed 71 as the home side totalled
Chelmsford's Paul Ray is in Holland and Belgium for Euro 2000 as both a fan and in his official capacity as a member of the Football Supporters' Association. He will be one of a number of people working to provide a mobile embassy service which will offer
The official opening of the new-look Birch Grove golf course went as smoothly as Tiger Woods' swing. The opening drive, on the new par 66 layout, was performed by the Essex Golf Union president John Day yesterday (Thursday). Owner Lawrie Marston said:
Southend United chairman John Main plans to meet EVERY Blues fan alive in a bid to ease the Third Division outfit's financial burden. The Seasiders are currently losing more than £100,000 per month, but Main hopes a new club initiative will boost Roots
Umpire Malcolm "Tucker" Tye will be donning his suit of armour again tomorrow as Division Three pace-setters Harwich and Dovercourt go in search of another win at Brightlingsea's Regent Road. The reason for the armour is Harwich's evergreeen Caribbean
Colchester United utility man Aaron Skelton has turned his back on Luton Town and re-signed for the U's. Skelton told the Gazette: "I have had a few chats with manager Steve Whitton and I have agreed to stay with Colchester. The former Kenilworth Road
After more than two years planning one of Maldon's biggest celebrations takes place next week. From Monday a week long programme of events and exhibitions known as Maldon 2000 will kick off. The theme is Maldon's past, present and future and hundreds
Clothes store C&A has become the fourth major retailer to quit Chelmsford town centre in the last four months. The decision, announced yesterday (Thursday) as part of a nationwide shutdown of UK operations, means C&A joins women's fashion store
Basildon angler Neil Rayner took a tremendous 47 carp catch at Gloucester Park over the weekend. Neil fished the big bay where his homemade boilies produced a succession of good fish. 18 of his carp where double figure specimens, with many of the others
Customs officers have cracked the biggest-ever tobacco smuggling operation through Harwich Port after seizing 16 million bootleg cigarettes. The £1.5 million haul of cigarettes filled two lorry containers and were labelled as women's clothing. They were
A GIRL with Down's syndrome who was the first pupil with the condition to attend her primary school is set to become a pioneer again - this time at secondary school. Kelly Wright, 11, of Harvey Road, was the first pupil with Down's syndrome to attend
The chairman of Essex County Council has said his champagne reception would go ahead despite calls to cut the bash's budget and plough the money into the meals on wheels service. The gathering is being held at Cressing Temple, near Witham, on July 14
The inaugural Evening Gazette/Fresh Start Cricketer of the month is Stuart Mills of West Mersea, whose batting exploits have earned him £100-worth of sports vouchers from Colchester store Harpers. Mills, of High Street, West Mersea, who was nominated
Police are urging people to check 'doorstep peddlers' are genuine after a peddler stole a tax disc from a Tolleshunt D'arcy house. The incident happened on Thursday afternoon last week, when a peddler called at the house, asked to use the toilet and then
A £50,000 appeal has been launched for a statue to be made of Maldon's famous Saxon warrior, Byrhtnoth, by top sculptor John Doubleday. The project, by the Maldon Culture Company Ltd which was set up as a not-for-profit company dedicated to the arts,
Security officers took over the check-in desk at Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital when tempers became frayed over a long night's wait for treatment. Parents have protested after their injured children endured the waiting ordeal at the accident and emergency
Police will beef up their presence in Colchester and Clacton to clamp down on trouble-makers during Saturday's big soccer clash between England and Germany. Extra officers will be on duty during and after the Euro 2000 match, which kicks off at 7.45pm
