Archive

  • Southend climb to the summit

    SOUTHEND Lawn ladies went a point clear at the top of Leigh & Westcliff Division Two after thumping Rayleigh II 6-0. Amy Sergeant and Sophie Scanlon saw off Gill Whittington and Jean Catley 6-3 6-2, while Annabelle McCrimmon and Sally Marsham beat Lynn

  • Derbyshire's Durston gives Essex a headache at Chelmsford

    WES Durston struck his second century of the season as Derbyshire totalled 323 to gain a first-innings lead of 141 in the LV= County Championship against Essex at Chelmsford. At the close, Essex had reached 46 for two in their second innings, still

  • Feltwell’s win mars diamond celebration

    THE Redbacks baseball club have officially opened their new diamond at Forest Glade Football Club in Billericay. But Feltwell Red Redbacks pooped the party by securing victory in the first game. The visitors raced into an early 8-2 lead before the

  • MIB's slam-bang thrills

    Third time’s a charm for the sharp-suited Men In Black, who rediscover their swagger ten years after the lacklustre second instalment. Set largely in July 1969, this is is a hare-brained, time-travelling caper which ties up loose threads, suggesting

  • Van and car crash into each other in Rayleigh

    A VAN and car collided with each other in Rayleigh on Thursday afternoon. The Ford Transit van and Ford KA hit each other at the junction of Brook Road and High Street near to the Rayleigh Weir roundabout at about 5pm. Firefighters from Rayleigh

  • Get the VIP treatment at Rayleigh's new club

    A CHIC new nightclub opens its doors in Rayleigh this weekend in the form of Linx. The brainchild of friends and owners Rob Beardwell and John McKenna, the club, which is above Superdrug on the High Street, has its launch night this weekend with the

  • One-way system temporarily lifted for Southend Airshow

    A one-way traffic flow system is being temporarily lifted to help with the increased congestion expected for the Southend Airshow. The scheme operating in Lucy Road and Herbert Grove, Southend, will be temporarily suspended from 12midnight

  • Larry's Lowdown - Funny start to season

    IT’S been a funny start to the season in the Championship, we won out first match but since then every single match has been affected by the weather. We’ve had worse weather in the south than in the north, and I think that’s allowed a few teams to steal

  • Russell leaves Canvey to join Boreham Wood

    CANVEY keeper James Russell says he decided to leave Canvey because he wants to test himself at a higher level. The 24-year-old, who’s joined Conference South side Boreham Wood, said it was a wrench to leave the Gulls after three great years, but that

  • HMRC seize 5 tonnes of illegal tobacco in Southend

    ILLEGAL tobacco worth £1million in lost tax has been seized in Southend. Essex Police discovered the haul of almost five tonnes of loose tobacco in an industrial unit in the town. HM Revenue and Customs officers were informed and are now investigating

  • Jo Harman to close jazz season

    MOST artists would leap at the chance of a production deal with a top producer, but rising blues and soul star Jo Harman ditched the deal and vowed to make it on her own. The young singer is making waves on the blues and jazz scene, and can be seen

  • Merciless Fail bid for metal glory

    A SOUTHEND band will be rocking Colchester after reaching the finals of a major heavy metal contest. Merciless Fail will appear alongside more than 20 other bands in a mammoth all-day event at the Judge and Jury pub, on St Botolph’s Circus, this weekend

  • Breaking magic taboos

    WITH their gory sketches, irreverent routines and white-knuckle trickery, Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod have never been run-of-the-mill magicians. Now the pair, who starred on BBC1’s the Magicians, are breaking the biggest taboo in the business, by

  • Rap pioneers bound for Brownstock

    HIP hop icons including Grandmaster Flash and a Tribe Called Quest have been lined up to appear in Essex at this year’s Brownstock Festival. The ever-expanding South Woodham Ferrers festival has gone from strength to strength over the years, and has

  • Rachel turns life around by body building

    A MUM-OF-THREE who piled on the pounds has transformed her life by turning her bulk to brawn – and she now aims to be a body-building champ. Just two years ago Rachel Turner, 40, had been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid gland after feeling

  • More Oliver at the Palace Theatre

    Oliver! will be performed at the Palace Theatre by a cast of talented youngsters. June 6 sees Solomon Artistes bring the musical to the theatre for a week. Featuring favourite songs including Where is Love, and Food Glorious Food, the Lionel Bart show

  • That'll Be The Day hits the Pavilion

    POPULAR rock’n’roll variety show That’ll Be the Day returns to the Cliffs Pavilion. Featuring hits from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, the touring show comes complete with colourful outfits to take you back in time and is set to be another top retro

  • Nathan's accidental comedy career is really taking off

    L ast month, Nathan Evans had never done stand-up before, but after accidentally winning a competition at Three Flying Ducks, in Leigh, he found himself booked for a gig. He tried his hand at the comedy club’s first open mic spot last month, and found

  • Louis Clark’s Hooked on Classics, live at the Cliffs

    FOR Louis Clark, music was all he ever wanted to do. “I started I suppose when I left school, the Beatles were out then and I thought it was the best thing I’d heard – all I wanted to do was play music,” says the conductor and arranger. “I bought a

  • McEvoy can’t wait for Wentworth test

    RICHARD McEvoy says he’s thrilled at the prospect of getting underway today on the European Tour’s flagship event – the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. A top prize of 750,000 euros is available for the winner at the famous event in Surrey, and the

  • Authentic taste of Italy in Rochford

    HAVING taken a trip to Italy last autumn, I have been looking for an authentic restaurant to recreate the experience. Having opened just two months ago, Alessandro’s, in Rochford, looked like it could be the ticket. While we perused the dishes on offer

  • Berlin Symphony at the Cliffs

    THE classical season at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, ends this week with one of Europe’s greatest orchestras, the Berlin Symphony. The evening will include Weber’s overture to the Der Freischutz, Mozart’s Elvira Madigan piano concerto, performed

  • Big Box of Bananas

    CONFUSED pirates, musical sealife, all-singing, all-dancing air stewards and a big box of bananas will all be at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff, when Andy and Mike return with another kids’ show. BAFTA-nominated CBeebies presenter Andy Day and pal Mike

  • You saw our man run, now laugh with him

    HE’S already raised £4,000 for Havens Hospices with his marathon-running efforts. Now Echo sports reporter Chris Phillips is organising a fundraising bash to try to boost his total further. The show will feature X Factor contestants Two Shoes, and

  • Neil by Mouth: Strange time of year for players

    THIS is always a strange time of year to be a footballer and it’s even worse when you’ve been playing in the play-offs. One minute you’re preparing for a massive match and the next everything is over and you have nothing to do. It really is a case of

  • Boweevil at New Crawdaddy

    IT’S a debut at the New Crawdaddy for the Dove Boweevil band tonight (Thursday, May 24). Regulars may recognise Lauren Dove and guitarist Mark Howes from their appearance at the New Brunswick Battle of The Blues competition. The band first formed as a

  • Classy night of comedy at Cliffs

    COMEDY comes to the Cliffs Pavilion tonight with the return of the Hellfire Comedy Club. Comics Doc Brown, Mike Wilmot and Charlie Baker are due to take to the stage for the gig, which will see the main auditorium of the Southend theatre transformed

  • Rare jewellery stolen in break-in

    RARE gems belonging to four generations of the same family were stolen by burgalrs. The jewellery worth over £10,000 were stolen from a home in Stock Road, Billericay in April. The haul featured a rare British Airways brooch. *Full story in Friday's

  • McEvoy thrilled to be in field with Monty and Els

    RICHARD McEvoy says he’s thrilled at the prospect of getting underway today on the European Tour’s flagship event – the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. A top prize of 750,000 euros is available for the winner at the famous event in Surrey, and the

  • Spartans’ first home loss in two years

    ESSEX Spartans slumped to their second defeat of their season, and their first home defeat since 2010, when they lost 28-0 to Sussex Thunder. The Billericay-based Spartans knew they faced a stern test against one of the favourites to win the division

  • Belford: It wasn't about money

    CAMERON Belford insists it was his not wage demands which stopped him joining Southend United on a permanent basis. The 23-year-old goalkeeper, who ended last season on loan at Blues from Bury, was keen to remain at Roots Hall. But he never even got

  • Whitlock aiming to book Olympic spot

    MAX Whitlock will look to deliver a performance in France today which could help secure his place at London 2012. The South Essex club gymnast is part of a Great Britain team going for glory at the European Championships in Montpellier.

  • Sadlers Farm bridge brings motorists joy

    MISERABLE motorists are smiling again after the opening of a key bridge at Sadlers Farm cut journey times in half. Drivers have had to contend with hours of delays since work first started to simplify the busy Benfleet roundabout in 2010. Now, drivers

  • Basildon £900m masterplan voted one of UK's best

    AMBITIOUS plans to change the face of Basildon won national praise as they were named among the best in the country. The £900million redevelopment of Basildon will see a new 12-screen cinema, new shops, 2,000 homes, a new bus station, a hotel and High

  • Opposition grows to Dartford crossing tolls rise

    HAULAGE firms fear they will be put in trouble by the planned hikes in tolls at Dartford crossing at a time when the economy is struggling. Roads Minister Mike Penning announced tolls would be put up by 50p in October for cars and light goods vehicles

  • Private security patrols on Southend's Woodgrange estate

    A PRIVATE security firm is carrying out night-time patrols on an estate in a bid to stamp out crime. The company has been drafted in to the Woodgrange estate, Southend, after a spate of vandalism and yobbish behaviour. An teenage girl was also

  • Council powerless to help Basildon Academies

    THE man in charge of education in Essex says the county council is powerless to intervene to help the Basildon Academies after the school was put into special measures. Stephen Castle, Essex county councillor reponsible for education, said he had taken

  • Couple’s hard work at cafe earns 5 stars

    A CAFE which was once forced to close because it was labelled a health hazard has been turned around by new owners. The former Cambella Cafe, at the Victoria shopping centre, in Southend, was forced to temporarily close in 2009 and previous

  • Happy William gets his go-kart returned

    A DISABLED teenager who was devastated when his much-loved go-kart was stolen has been reunited with it. William Weller, 14, of Common Lane, Thundersley, is delighted at the return of his beloved go-kart after it was stolen from the garden

  • Woman, 87, waits two hours for an ambulance after fall

    A WOMAN aged 87 was left lying on a pavement with a broken arm and head injuries for more than two hours after an ambulance failed to show up. Neighbours rushed to help after they saw the frail widow tumble over in Nether Priors, Basildon.