Archive

Date

Inexperienced Daisy Hill pay for slack work

A YOUTHFUL Daisy Hill threw away the points against Ashton Town on Monday. Daisy Hill gave away another first minute goal, fought back to lead 2-1, then slipped up to go down 3-2. To make matters worse this was Town's first win for 26 matches. Assistant

Date

Rugby Union: Stephens saves the day for Sedgley

Preston Grasshoppers 24pts - Sedgley Park 22pts THIS pre-season warm-up comprised four 20-minute segments and was both entertaining and competitive, the latter reflected in three players being sin-binned, a new innovation this season. The Grasshoppers

Date

Non league soccer: Brierley blow on sorry night for Rammy

Ramsbottom Utd 0 - Clitheroe 1 IT was a night of sharply contrasting fortunes for these two sides A knee injury sustained by skipper Warren Brierley dealt the Rams a double whammy as they slumped to their first home defeat since April 1999. Martin Aspinall's

Date

BICC job losses

By Mark Donaghy UNIONS and bosses at a Leigh firm are having face-to-face talks today (Friday) following news that 130 jobs will be lost at one of the town's last major employers. More than 75 per cent of business at BICC will stop by the end of the year

Date

Conned woman

POLICE are appealing for help in tracing two men who stole from a Radcliffe pensioner's home. The white males conned their way into the 87-year-old woman's Chapelfield home at 2pm on Tuesday (Aug 29). While one of the thieves distracted the lady, the

Date

Fireman inquest

AN INQUEST into the death of firefighter Paul Metcalf who drowned in a Bury lodge last year is to start on Monday (Sept 4). Only a day short of the first anniversary of the tragedy, Coroner Mr Barrie Williams will conclude the investigation into how a

Date

Inquest into bike boy's death

AN inquest has been opened into the death of a Polish teenager who died days after suffering severe injuries in a road traffic accident. Sixteen-year-old Mariusz Mazurek, who was due to return to Poland last Thursday (Aug 24) after a two-month visit to

Date

Oz treat for Ada on 100th birthday.

BURY woman Ada Garnett was given the perfect tonic in preparation for her 100th birthday this Sunday when her son arrived from Australia. Geoffrey (70) and his wife Elsie landed earlier this week to be with Ada for the special occasion. Born on September

Date

Walker manages a charity feet.

GREENMOUNT walker Phil Jefferson set himself a blistering charity challenge to walk round the Isle of Wight. The fleet-footed 38-year-old, pictured, embarked on the trek and has now raised more than £4,000 for Christie's Cancer Appeal. His desire to complete

Date

Chris muscles in.

ARM wrestler Chris Andrews got his grip on the national title for a fifth time last weekend. The 26-year-old powerhouse, pictured with his trophy, pushed aside rivals to become the 90kg British Professional Arm Wrestling Champion in Croydon on Sunday

Date

ROVERS: Being skipper was great honour: Dunn

BLACKBURN Rovers starlet David Dunn today said being made captain of England's Under 21s ranks as one of the proudest moments of his career. The 20-year-old midfielder was handed the captain's armband before Wednesday night's 6-1 thrashing of Georgia

Date

Rovers are well funded says new Ewood director

NEW Blackburn Rovers director David Brown today vowed to ensure Jack Walker's legacy lives on following his appointment to the club's board. Brown was officially unveiled as a new director yesterday with a mandate to liaise between the Ewood board and

Date

Wheel hazards

THE wheel was invented many years ago and is probably one of the most important things that man ever made. It formed the basis for a great many future inventions and made life a great deal easier for all of us. Over the last century for instance, public

Date

Goped jaunt gets driver third ban

A BANNED driver spotted travelling around Barnoldswick on a motorised goped told police it was a mistake and he had not thought a licence was needed. Darren Roberts, 20, who is disqualified from driving until May 2001, told Burnley magistrates a police

Date

Diamond duo's brass

DIAMOND couple Tom and Molly Smith celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in style -- and raised more than £500 for charity. The couple, who live in Manchester Road, Hapton, joined friends and family for a meal at the Higher Trapp Hotel, Simonstone

Date

PendleWay paths to get facelift

PLANS to re-launch the 45-mile Pendle Way footpath are nearing completion. The path was launched in 1987 as a way of attracting tourists and encouraging local people to explore the borough. A further six shorter, circular walks off the Pendle Way were

Date

Saints suffer back pain

SECOND-PLACED Saints are facing back division problems as they bid to maintain their leadership challenge in Friday's daunting trip to Leeds, kick-off 7.30pm. For long-term injured Paul Newlove looks likely to miss his 12th successive game due to hamstring

Date

Bright start for Heath

Thatto Heath Crusaders 32 Dewsbury Moor 17 CRUSADERS made a bright start to their National Conference League campaign. But the final scoreline doesn't fully reflect their superiority. Heath dominated the opening quarter and should have more to show for

Date

A Long day at Knowsley Road

Saints 50 Salford City Reds 28 ALMOST a point a minute -- but one big bore! That was this uninspiring affair with an end-of-season ring on Sunday, again underlining standards between top and bottom clubs in so-called Super League is a yawning chasm. Salford

Date

Rivvy Road roll call

WELL-known local snipper Dave Ratcliffe, whose hairdressing salon is in George Street, is organising a reunion of classmates who were at Rivington Road school between 1951 and 1955. It's to be held at the Sefton Arms on Wednesday, September 13, kicking

Date

The honourable rag-and-bone man

LIFE was tough for a rag-and-bone man, but Tommy Carter had no hesitation when he found a bundle of banknotes among old coats he had collected around the St Helens town centre. He gathered them up and took his £400 find to the local police station. His

Date

Mister Music Man comes home

A FAMED tenor toasted old friends who gathered to recall their Tyldesley schooldays. Over 50 years have passed since the group pictured here took to the stage together in Tyldesley Boys' County Secondary production of The Mikado. But those far-off, happy

Date

Chemists on Duty

Sunday, September 3 Blackburn: 12noon-1pm: Shadsworth Pharmacy, Shadsworth Villas, 221 Shadsworth Road; 11am-2pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; 11am-1pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street; 10.30am-4.30pm: Superdrugs Pharmacy, 3-7 Stonybutts

Date

Chemists on Duty

Thursday, September 7 Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 Railway Road. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive; Healthbook Ltd, Audley Shopping Centre, Audley

Date

Great sadness

IT WAS with sadness I received word that Miss Brooks, a former teacher of mine, had passed away. Although I am 75 years old, memories flooded my mind of Tyldesley Senior Girls school in the late thirties, and the wonderful staff. Most of us were coal

Date

Water talks

A SERIES of water-related topics will come under the spotlight in Bury next week. Bury Business Environment Association (BEA) is staging a Water Management seminar at its Link House headquarters on Wednesday (Sept 6). Experts from Groundwork, the Environment

Date

New award for ANC

ANC Business Services Group Ltd, which has a depot in Bury, is celebrating a new award. The company, together with niche gift retailer Past Times, received a joint award at the transport industry's Motor Transport Awards for Excellence ceremony. Both

Date

Radcliffe company floors the opposition

A RADCLIFFE-based flooring company has carpeted a major UK award. Polyflor Ltd, formerly James Halstead Ltd, has been voted "Manufacturer of the Year" by flooring contractors throughout the country. In a nationwide poll organised by the Contract Flooring

Date

Get Smart with DTI grants

BURY companies are being urged to get smart! For innovative firms and individuals can now apply at any time for funding from the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) Smart programme. The awards, now being made monthly on a competitive basis, are designed

Date

Referees book a date

THE St Helens Football Referees Society meets at Greenalls Social Club, Alder Hey Road, on Monday, September 4 (7.45pm). All are welcome including anyone wishing to take up refereeing. For details contact the new Secretary, Keith Radcliffe on 0151 289

Date

Leigh RU fall to defeat under friendly fire

LEIGH RU started their new campaign with a 35-26 friendly defeat by West Park. West Park quickly highlighted their higher league status with two early tries coming from sustained pressure. However, a relatively inexperienced Leigh side soon highlighted

Date

Ton-up Hall hits Edgworth for six

ATHERTON CC professional Andy Hall produced one of the finest innings ever seen at Higham Park in the rain-affected draw with Edgworth on Sunday. Big-hitting Hall demolished the Edgworth attack as he plundered an unbeaten 121 off just 84 balls. Atherton's

Date

Three wins in a row see RMI rocket towards the top

Leigh RMI 2 Scarborough 0 THIRD in the table and three wins inside a week. No wonder the Nationwide Conference new boys are still pinching themselves. Successive victories over Southport, Kettering and now Scarborough have seen RMI rocket from 16th spot

Date

Cause of death may never be known

THE cause of death of a 23-year-old man, whose body was found in a Radcliffe flat, may never be known, an inquest heard. A post mortem on Stephen Paton revealed the cause as "unascertainable" after his body was found in the flat in Stand Lane. The hearing

Date

Church vandals go on the rampage

SICK criminals went on the rampage in a Radcliffe church, defecating in the vestry and destroying communion wine and wafers intended for the sick and elderly. The shocking incident occurred in St Thomas and St John CE Church last Thursday afternoon (Aug

Date

Teams enjoy a Knockabout

POSTING bricks through a letterbox and eggthrowing were just some of the wacky challenges at Radcliffe Rotary Club's "It's A Knockabout" competition on Bank Holiday Monday Aug 28). A total of 18 teams battled through 12 weird and wonderful challenges

Date

Cycle speedway: Pearce shows his class

HELLESDON Community Centre at Horwich provided the setting for the rain-affected British Individual cycle speedway finals on Bank Holiday Monday. And top performer for Bury-Border Flooring was Robert Pearce who stormed through his first qualifying race

Date

CHOSEN FEUD!

CARLING WEEKEND LEEDS 2000 THE Oasis saga goes on -- and the tension between the Gallagher brothers, coupled with the strongest line-up of the summer, gave the Leeds weekend the edge over its festival rivals. A torrential downpour failed to dampen the

Date

On the road again!

A SPONSORED fancy dress walk in aid of children with leukaemia is set to be a bumper success. Organiser, Anne Ferguson will once again be donning St Trinian's schoolgirl uniform to stage the walk -- her third -- from Wigan to St Helens on Saturday, September

Date

Roadworks ahead...

MOTORISTS could face delays on the A580 East Lancs Road between St Helens and Leigh during the next 15 weeks. Work is scheduled to start on Monday, September 4 on a £400,000 scheme to refurbish six bridges on that stretch of the road. Repainting and repairs

Date

A feast of music in store

THE former Bold Moss Common will be alive with the sound of music this weekend when St Helens environmental charity, Groundwork stage a free musical extravaganza. The outdoor Music on the Moss Festival, which also coincides with the official opening of

Date

Thug stamped on victim's head

POLICE are appealing for help to track down a gang who attacked a teenage boy and stole his £1,200 mountain bike. The 15-year-old was attacked at about 8pm on Wednesday, August 9, outside The Grapes pub in St Helens Road, Eccleston Park after he and three

Date

Volunteers needed to help new service

THE St Helens Coalition of Disabled People is to introduce a new scheme aimed at helping people with learning disabilities to get involved in ordinary community activities. The Enabling Scheme will recruit volunteers who are willing to give up part of

Date

Collette honours Spanish murder victim

A SPECIAL concert is to be held in memory of Gareth Mather, the 20-year-old from Newton-le-Willows who died after being stabbed just hours after arriving in Spain on holiday earlier this year. The event has been organised by Collette Jackson as a tribute

Date

Car smashed as doctor treats patient

DOCTORS in St Helens are now considering stopping non-urgent home visits in Clinkham Wood unless protected by an escort, after an incident in which a doctor and his driver were subjected to appalling physical and verbal abuse at the hands of a gang of

Date

Chapel opens doors for heritage day

CHOWBENT Unitarian Chapel is taking part in the National Heritage Open Day during the weekend of September 16 and 17. The chapel will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, and after the Sunday morning service from noon to 4pm. The school, which is next

Date

Crash man spared prison

A THIRD time drink-driver was saved from a jail by his boss who told magistrates he was an invaluable worker. Matthew John Grimshaw, 28, who smashed into a parked car and drove off was told he would normally have been sent to prison Magistrates the defendant

Date

Woman burned in paintbrush fire

A WOMAN was taken to hospital with minor burns after her DIY husband set fire to his paintbrush. John Atherton had been cleaning the brush with petrol in the kitchen of his home on Tennyson Avenue, Leigh. But a lit cooker which his wife, Dorothy, was

Date

Centres to get festive lights

TOWN centres in Leigh, Tyldesley and Atherton will light up this Christmas to the tune of nearly £25,000. A council report told members there was "£24,376 available for the provision of Christmas lights for Wigan (£17,339) and Leigh (£7,037) town centres

Date

Atherton Market fun days remembered forever

ATHERTON Market fun days will be remembered for ever. An exhibition of photographs taken at the events during the holidays will be on display in Atherton Library until September 16. The days were arranged as part of the Atherton Building Communities Programme

Date

Mystery illness investigation continues

POLICE are continuing their investigation into a mystery illness which struck staff at a Leigh store. CID officers have sent blood samples from two workers at the Wilkinson shop, on Silk Street, to a toxicologist who will reveal whether any foul play

Date

WI call for more Tai Chi

THE members of Culcheth WI are into Tai Chi. Following a full house at their first class the ladies have called for more. The speaker at the last meeting was Mr Bennicke who has recently used his healing hands in Kosovo. His topic was alternative medicine

Date

Flying flag for the gay community

WIGAN Council is to fly the flag for the gay community. The rainbow flag will flutter from the Wigan town hall for one day in September to support the first Lancashire Gay Pride initiative. Traditionally events have focused on Manchester city centre's

Date

Family hopes 'model' daughter will change their luck

AN Atherton family is hoping its luck has changed at last following a disastrous start to the new century. This year 25-year-old mum of two Andrea Davies has mourned the death of her uncle in a tragic road accident and discovered that a young cousin is

Date

Tributes flood in for campaigner Ian, 56

By Mark Donaghy AN UNSUNG hero who stood up for Leigh and its people has died of cancer. Ian Lynch died last Wednesday, aged 56, after spending many years campaigning tirelessly against injustice in the town. He was diagnosed with throat cancer some time

Date

Pinta boost for needy young folk

A FOOD company is giving up to 1,000 pints of milk a year to young homeless people. Arla Foods of Brookhouse Lane, Blackburn, has donated the milk through the GTech/Europrint employee involvement scheme which is based at the Blackburn Partnership, Richmond

Date

Pair make cut GOLF: Clitheroe's Kirsty Taylor and Chorley's Lora Fairclough both made the cut in te

Isabella Maconi of Italy leads on nine under. Taylor is down the field on level par and Fairclough three over.

Date

SATURDAY INTERVIEW: with Ramsbottom's Brad Hodge

Hard work pays off for Hodge BEFORE you ever sell anything to John Bradley Hodge, be it a house, a car, a full set of Wisdens, a pot kangaroo or whatever -- a word in your shell-like. Make doubly sure it is in good shape and don't try any hoodwinking

Date

Youngsters ready for the off

SUNDAY sees the start of the new Rainhill Junior League season. FIXTURES Sunday Under 15s: Basildon v Blackleyhurst, Bleak Hill Rovers v Rainford Rangers, Denton Athletic v Lane Ends Athletic, Knowsley South v Blackbrook, Oak v Seneley and Garswood, Rainhill

Date

Rainhill close in on title

RAINHILL are on the verge of claiming the Merseyside Competition Second Division title. After beating Whitefield at Victoria Terrace, they now need only 24 more points. Whitefield put the home side into bat first. This proved costly as Rainhill got the

Date

Steve strikes for Cables

Salford City 0 Prescot Cables 1 A STEVE O'Neill strike was enought o earn Cables the points on Monday. It came after the opening half-hour saw goalmouth excitement at a premium. The first serious attempt on goal came after 26 minutes when Vaughan hit

Date

Preece is not the answer

I KNOW it is only the beginning of the football season, but I do not see Andy Preece being a success as Bury FC's manager. He is still a good player, but after the 4-1 defeat by Wrexham he should sit in the dugout and watch his defence. I don't think

Date

A bit of a dot con!

THE news that Tory Central Office staff have become "cyber squatters" (buying up the names of people and organisations for Internet monopoly purposes) will doubtless be a great surprise to many people. What is even more bizarre is the buying of the name

Date

Scurrilous attack

AT the recent match against Wrexham at Gigg Lane, I read a pamphlet which I could only describe as scurrilous. The fanzine containing an attack on Terry Robinson and Neville Neville is "edited" by Lee Davenport, a known critic of these two gentlemen.

Date

Good bet for the Lottery

SINCE the inception of the National Lottery, Camelot has been issued with a licence to print money. As this was not enough, in their greed they also introduced another money-spinner, Thunderball. Now that Richard Branson has been offered the chance of

Date

Fire hits club

POLICE are investigating a fire at the Crystals nightclub which broke out in the early hours last Thursday. Firefighters from St Helens and Eccleston were called to the blaze at 3.30am and it took them 20 minutes to put out the fire which severely damaged

Date

Raiders hit Exchange

POLICE are investigating an aggravated burglary which took place at the Exchange Vaults public house in Cooper Street on Wednesday, August 16, between 11.30pm and midnight. A barman at the pub needed hospital treatment after being attacked by four men

Date

Kiddies' bench torched

WARD Councillors Richard Ferry and Carole Kavanagh have hit out at vandals who set fire to a park bench in the childrens play area in Haresfinch Park on Wednesday, August 23. A disgusted Councillor Kavanagh, who campaigned for the play area facilities

Date

Attack victim needed 32 stitches to face

A 35-year-old man needed 32 stitches to his face after he was viciously attacked in an alley way. The victim, who had enjoyed a night out with friends, was walking by the alley way on Boundary Road (near to the Lingholme Health Centre) at about 11.30pm

Date

Amateur soccer: Slow-starting Old Boys pay a high price

BURY GSOB 1 - ROSSENDALE AMS 3 A DISASTROUS opening half hour condemned the Old Boys to defeat at the hands of last season's First Division champions, Rossendale. Bury failed to heed the warning that there would be an urgency and sharpness from the newly-promoted

Date

Amateur soccer: Fold draw a blank

ELTON FOLD 0 - ATHERTON TOWN 0 A HEALTHY sized crowd saw an entertaining, end to end contest at Elton Vale on Tuesday evening that was only lacking in the end product. Fold had to settle for another draw against an Atherton side that haven't beaten Elton

Date

Bury FC: Twin terrors keep boss on bench

ANDY PREECE is facing a frustrating few months . . . and he couldn't be happier. His first-choice strike force of Adrian Littlejohn and Bhaichung Bhutia are playing so well that other strikers at the club - Paul Barnes, Dean Crowe and Preece himself -

Date

Angling: Officials' Cup joy for Jowett

BURY Angling Society officers and members travelled to Cudmore Fisheries for an event on the Brewsters Canal with the Officials' Cup going to the winner. The day was fully-subscribed for the 20-peg event which started in heavy rain but conditions soon

Date

Bury FC: Preece looks to keep players feet on the ground!

KEEP up the good work but keep your feet on the ground - that's the message from Andy Preece as the high-flying Shakers look down from second place in the Division Two. The Bury boss has been delighted with the way his charges have begun the season but

Date

ONCE Leigh was a mecca for thousands of north west anglers.

When buses and bikes were the main form of transport they flocked from Manchester, Liverpool and further afield to land big catches on one-time premier waters such as Pennington Flash. Now half a century of history, relating the ups and downs, successes

Date

Thieves hit school

RAIDERS broke into Holly Mount RC Primary School in Greenmount and fled with three computers and a video recorder worth £5,600. The theft was discovered on Tuesday (Aug 29) where it was found intruders had gained entrance at the rear of the school on

Date

Coroner orders a second post mortem

A SECOND post mortem was ordered by Bury District Coroner Mr Barrie Williams into the death of a four-month-old infant found lying face down on the mattress in her cot. The cause of death of Humira Uddin still has to be ascertained and consequently the

Date

Chairman's contract warning

LEIGH Centurions won't wait much longer for their out of contract stars to agree to new deals. Chairman Mike Nolan won't let things drag on, setting a deadline when all negotiations have to be completed. "We can't afford to sit and let the grass grow

Date

Storing up experience.

YOUNGSTERS had bags of time to "check out" exactly what their parents do when they visited Asda's busy store in Pilsworth this week. They were able to shadow their mums or dads during their work routine and help out in the store themselves. The "Kids

Date

CLARETS and ROVERS

KILBY ON TRANSFER OF POWER Club chiefs voice concern over new system BLACKBURN Rovers and Burnley chiefs today joined forces in voicing their concern at the controversial new ruling which could abolish all transfer fees for players aged 24 or over. Blackburn

Date

Big Mac - a view from the States

HAVING been born and lived in St.helens for almost thirty years and lived almost an equal amount of time in the United States , I feel I am qualified to address the situation. I find much of the negativity regarding this project quite ironic in the comments

Date

Hunt for sex fiend hots up

MERSEYSIDE Police are stepping up the hunt for a vicious sex fiend who first struck more than 10 years ago. A reconstruction of a number of the indecent assaults and attacks has been filmed for the BBC Crimewatch programme. The footage will be shown on

Date

Raring to go . . .

Parr Hare & Hounds 16 West Sutton Dragons 22 HOUNDS showed the benefit of a tough pre-season training regime and a vigorous summer recruitment drive by putting up a highly creditable performance in this friendly against a team from two divisions higher

Date

SINGLES:

BADLY DRAWN BOY: Disillusion (Twisted Nerve Through XL) -- Mercury prize nominee Badly Drawn Boy is joined by members of Manchester's Doves. Built around a catchy lead guitar hook and some jangly keyboards, this is Damon Gough at his best. Two new tracks

Date

Young pals die in car crash horror

THE driver of a car in which he and a friend died was twice over the legal drink driving limit and had also taken amphetamines. A bottle containing a white powder identified as "speed" was found in the pocket of dead driver Jason Wilkinson, 24, an inquest

Date

Whack of the old willow

SIX-hitting and slip-fielding are now things of the past for these cricketing kids from Windleshaw School, St Helens. But memories of the thwack of willow on leather are still bright in their minds after a lapse of almost half a century. This 1951 blast

Date

Old-time twang gang!

IF you have a broad Northern twang, then be proud of it! For it contains the sort of terms that would have been familiar to Chaucer and Shakespeare . . . though, of course, radio and television have now all but wiped out traditional Lanky-speak. I was

Date

Taste of culture for Hag Fold

ESTATE residents were this week invited to get their kit on as part of a culture launch on Atherton's Hag Fold. A week of taster sessions at the Dorset Road Community Centre offered residents the chance to take part in both sporting and cultural activities

Date

Boy, 12, scarred for life in attack

A YOUTH who smashed a schoolboy's head through a car window leaving him scarred for life has been ordered to attend a young offenders' centre. The 15-year-old youth, who had been found guilty of unlawful and malicious wounding during a two-day trial in

Date

Chemists on Duty

Wednesday, September 6 Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Arthur

Date

Chemists on Duty

Friday, September 8 Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Arthur Haworth, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst

Date

Chemists on Duty

Monday, September 4 Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels Chemist, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street; To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Arthur Haworth, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy

Date

Chemists on Duty

Tuesday, September 5 Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy. 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver

Date

Nursery can stay says county hall

PLANS to relocate a Clitheroe nursery school to make room for more high school pupils has been thrown out by county education chiefs. Lancashire County Council's schools and general purposes sub-committee have decided against plans to relocate the nursery

Date

Runner Roger wants you to sign-up for Mencap

AS the running enthusiasts among you may remember, last spring I pounded the streets of London to achieve one of my lifetime ambitions - running my first ever marathon. Getting round those 26.2 miles was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I'll

Date

Park warm up

West Park 35 Leigh 26 VISITORS Leigh gave Park a useful warm up to the opening league game . While Park stuck to their 18 man squad, Leigh, having withdrawn from the scheduled second team fixture brought a 24 man squad and prevailed upon referee Mike

Date

Striker search is top priority

ATHERTON Colls' opening North West Counties League Division One schedule confirmed manager Alan Lord's worst fears. Unless he can uncover a quality striker capable of putting chances away all the good work of his team will amount to nothing. Solid defending

Date

East off to flying start

Askam 15 Leigh East 30 LEIGH East couldn't have asked for a better start to life in the National Conference First Division, coming just a week after their Champions Challenge success. Askam, relegated from the Premier Division, opened strongly but had

Date

First day thrills as Miners grab opening win

Leigh Miners 28 Oldham St Annes 26 LEIGH Miners pulled off a thrilling opening day victory in the National Conference Premier Division after surviving a mighty Saints fightback. The Miners were virtually unstoppable in the first half, running Saints ragged

Date

Goal ace Black strikes again

Kettering Town 0 Leigh RMI 1 RMI moved up into fifth place in the Nationwide Conference after an impressive away victory over last season's FA Trophy Finalists on Saturday. RMI controlled the game for long spells and were always comfortable on the ball

Date

Atherton's rising stars are up to the challenge

TWO wins in three games with virtually half a team missing is a more than satisfactory return for Atherton Town in the start to the Finnair Manchester League Premier Division campaign. Despite being without at least half a dozen regulars last Saturday

Date

Mighty Oak are chopped down...

EARLY season sensations Royal Oak were shown just exactly who the boss is in Division One on Tuesday night when they were thrashed 8-2 defeat by defending title holders Higher Folds. See-saw action early on saw Neil Clayton put Folds in front on 12 minutes

Date

Uncertain future for vote rigging accused

THE future of two Tory councillors arrested over vote-rigging allegations is still uncertain. Bury councillors Bob Bibby and Jim Taylor were given police bail until Tuesday this week (Aug 29) while detectives investigated claims of misconduct during May's

Date

Croquet: Southport sickener!

THE glorious seaside weather wasn't matched by the performance of Bury's Golf Croquet team when they travelled to Southport on Saturday. Tony Rudkin (handicap 3 with 6 the maximum) Jean Hargreaves (4), Marie Robinson ad Donald Lockett (both 6) took on

Date

Oxygen, Blackburn: '70s DISCO SOUNDS, 9pm to 1am, free.

Cubes, Blackburn: DJ GILLY, ANDY B, house and garage, 9pm to 1am, free. Utopia Discotheque, Blackburn: SEDUCTION, chart and party tunes, 10pm to 3am. Utopia Discotheque, Blackburn: REPLAY, '70s, '80s and '90s sounds, 10pm to 2am. Oxygen, Blackburn: DJ

Date

Family in fear of a vendetta

A FAMILY whose home has been the target of vandals twice in three days fear they have become victims of a vendetta. Henry and Dorothy Pye and their 18-year-old son, Lee, who has cerebral palsy, have lived in Knowsley Road, St Helens, for 28 years and

Date

Success is assured

A WEEK after St Helens Council launched an insurance scheme for its tenants, it was already exceeding all expectations. The low-cost weekly-paid home contents scheme has been introduced to help tenants who have difficulty in obtaining household insurance

Date

Mum's six hours of torment

A MOTHER whose son went missing at a busy seaside resort has told the Star of her six hours of torment. Thankfully, seven-year-old Philip Jones from Kidstone Close, Sutton, was found alive and well -- but only after a massive search including, police,

Date

TIM, there is no sezlez in the paper this week and no "heart" ... Paola

Date

Shake-up may shut schools

PRIMARY schools in Burnley could face closure because in four years' time there could be 1,700 unfilled places. A major review of primary schools under way this month when four public meetings will be held to discuss proposals with teachers, governors

Date

Busy programme for historical society

TYLDESLEY and District Historical Society have a busy programme up to May 2001. On September 21 John Aldred will give an illustrated talk on "James Naysmith of Patricroft: the Steamhammer Man". James Fairhurst will relate a grim tale of "Murders in Victorian

Date

£1,000 POOP PUNISHMENT

DOG owners in Leigh are being warned to scoop the poop or face being hit by tough new laws. Wigan Council is continuing its battle against irresponsible people who allow their animals to foul public areas by bringing in the changes which will allow fixed

Date

Grant changes to beat fraudsters

NEW restrictions are to be imposed on renovation grants awarded by the council. The conditions, which will remain in force for five years, aim to prevent fraud and home owners cashing in on grants by ensuring the property is occupied in the manner intended

Date

Navy honours hero Albert

MEMBERS of the Royal Navy paid respects on Friday to one of Atherton's naval heroes. Albert Harding was one of the founder members of Atherton White Ensign Association. He was one of only three surviving founder members until his death last week, aged

Date

New charge for white line protection

WHITE line markings to stop drivers from parking at the entrance of private driveways will now cost householders £30. The new charge was introduced on Wednesday by the council's Environment Panel in an effort to relax current policy. A report said householders

Date

Record profits for homes company

A LEIGH firm has helped its parent company build record half year profits. Persimmon plc, parent company of Leigh-based Persimmon Homes (North West) Ltd made a net pre-tax profit of £48.4 million in the six months to June 30, 2000 - up 36% on the 1999

Date

Birthday bash raises cash

A THIRTIETH anniversary party raised cash for the NSPCC at Britannia Building Society. Staff invited customers to a party and buffet to mark three decades of the Blackburn branch on Wednesday. Children enjoyed a lucky dip and face painting. A colouring

Date

Romanian friends plan visit

GUIDES and Scouts across East Lancashire are preparing to welcome their Romanian counterparts for a reunion visit. Twelve months ago a group travelled from the UK to Romania to help refurbish a children's holiday camp at the same time as developing the

Date

Limber up for charity assault course

A CHARITY is challenging people in East Lancashire to complete Granada's Krypton Factor Assault Course. The National Heart Research Fund is staging the event on Saturday, September 9, at Holcombe Moor Training Centre, near Bury. People in East Lancashire

Date

Police insulted in sign language

A DEAF, speech impaired man was arrested after abusing police and staff in sign language. Blackburn magistrates heard how staff at Richardson House translated to police as Balraj Gill signed a torrent of abuse at the officers who had returned him to the

Date

CRICKET: Flintoff's final fling

ANDY Flintoff will make his last contribution for Lancashire this season in their National League double header at Worcester and Bristol in the next two days. And Lightning are hoping that Freddie could still keep them in the First Division. England coach

Date

Bradshaw Hall still offers consistently good catches

WITH some very indifferent results from many local fisheries last week, and a return to poor weather, catching a few fish tomorrow will be quite a challenge. Except, probably that is, for those of you who choose to visit one of our top local commercial

Date

P&O grind out victory . . .

PRESCOT and Odyssey CC gained their fourth victory of the season against St Mary's Old Boys on Saturday. Batting first P&O struggled early on and at one stage were 9-3. However, Sean Yeates and Andy Greenwood (21) dug in to stem the flow of wickets

Date

Rainford steer towards title

RAINFORD CC remain in pole position in the Southport League title after a well-deserved home win over neighbours Haydock. But with the chasing pack snapping at their heels any mistakes against next opponents, Norley Hall, could prove costly. Haydock batted

Date

Here we go!

THE St Helens McDonalds JOL kicks off its 82nd season this Sunday, with 45 teams batling for honours. FIXTURES Sunday Under 16s: Rainhill United v Crosfield, St Annes Rovers v Rainford Rangers, Blackbrook v Bleak Hill Rovers, Eccleston United v Blackleyhurst

Date

More woe for St Helens

ST HELENS' miserable season continued when they handed victory on a plate to Fleetwood Hesketh on Saturday. Opposition opener Sykes survived two strong appeals to make 85 out of 211-8. Adam Friar took the bowling honours with 4-60, openers Gary Sheppard

Date

Recs edged out in thriller

ST HELENS Recs suffered a one-wicket defeat in a tense, low-scoring game at Ruskin Drive on Saturday. Visitors Orrell won the toss and invited Recs to bat on a a damp wicket. This decision soon reaped dividends as the home side could not put any meaningful

Date

Law men shoot down Town

Tow Law 2 St Helens Town 0 (FA Cup prelim) Flixton 4 St Helens Town 4 (NWCL One) WITH little more than a week of the new season gone, Town have put their followers through the whole range of emotions. And although seven out of a possible nine league points

Date

Penlake blast off Comb season

THE St Helens Combination sharpshooters have certainly not forgotten where the goals are after their summer recession. A grand total of 98 goals went in on Saturday. In the Star Premier Division, Penlake led the way with a 10-3 home slamming of Sidac

Date

Reminder of bike dangers

SINCE writing my earlier letter alerting the public, but especially the police and town council, to the increasing danger of cyclists riding on pavements and in pedestrian shopping areas, there have been two examples of serious injuries. The first was

Date

Major lottery success

MRS J. Major from Billinge is the latest lucky winner of the £2,000 jackpot prize in the Willowbrook Hospice Lottery weekly draw. Also in the money are Mrs J. Rodgers of Huyton who won £200; Mrs A Brighouse, Prescot (£125); Mrs K. Travis, Haydock (£75