A THRILLING final weekend of the regular season saw two victories for Leopards which, along with other results going their way, sealed home court advantage in the play-offs. The Big Cats will now host Tees Valley Mohawks at the Brentwood Centre
POST offices at Basildon and Laindon are making massive losses according to figures revealed by the postal operator. One of the top bosses at the Post Office said the financial position at both branches “could not continue” prompting their
UK rap superstar Tinchy Stryder met more than a hundred of his adoring fans at an appearance at Lakeside Retail Park. Tinchy, known by his supporters as ‘The Star in the Hood’, visited Curry’s Megastore at the shopping centre to plug his music
OVER a thousand screaming fans flocked to a Westcliff casino to watch X-Factor and Big Brother star Rylan Clark perform. The Stanford-Le-Hope singer treated fans to some of his X-Factor hits at the Genting Casino on Western Esplanade and was joined
HARRY Hudson’s late try secured Southend a thrilling 36-35 victory against Chinnor at Warners Bridge on Saturday. The Seasiders trailed for most of this entertaining encounter. But Hudson’s try swayed the clash in Southend’s favour and the
RESIDENTS hope to save a bus route crucial to the elderly for a second time after starting a petition. Almost every resident of the Trafford House sheltered accommodation in Manchester Drive, Leigh, has already signed the petition to save First
WESTCLIFF under-18s have sealed their place in the semi-final of the National Cup after they impressively beat last year’s finalists Ivybridge. The Westcliff academy will now face Worcester Wanderers, last year’s league winners, in their first
I WILL never forget the scenes at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, mainly because of the number of Southend fans who travelled up to the support the side for the JPT final. Having grown up in the area myself and being a Blues fan, it made it extra special
THE FIGHT to reopen a vital health service on Canvey has been given a boost. The Saturday service, at Oaklands Surgery at the Central Canvey Primary Care Centre, in Long Road, was axed in November despite calls to keep it open, after health officials
WESTCLIFF’s relegation from National Three London & SE was finally confirmed with a 50-5 defeat at Bishop’s Stortford. Westcliff were outplayed in every department by a Stortford side who are second in the standings and look set to exit the
A GOLF course, which has been under threat of closing, has been saved for another three months following a last-ditch bid to keep it open. Operator London Golf Management has agreed a deal to keep the course open until October. The course
FREDDY Eastwood felt Southend United’s inability to keep hold of the ball was to blame for their defeat against Crewe Alexandra. Eastwood, who came off the bench for the final 12 minutes of the match, felt the Railwaymen were superior to the Shrimpers
RYAN Cresswell insisted Southend United should remain proud of their achievements, despite losing to Crewe Alexandra in yesterday’s JPT final at Wembley. The Blues’ centre-back, who was roared on by more than 120 friends and members of his family
THE fightback starts here. Business leaders are determined to turn around their fortunes by investing £2.7million to kickstart the rejuvenation of Southend town centre. Last year, traders voted overwhelmingly to set up a self-governing business
MOURNERS yesterday paid tribute to South East Essex Cricket Board youth secretary John Wade at his funeral at Southend Crematorium. John’s contribution to Essex youth cricket has been widely acknowledged by friends and colleagues, with fellow league
GAVIN Tomlin heaped praise on Southend United’s supporters after more than 31,000 of them watched their side in action at Wembley. The striker insisted the fans deserve to be watching a better standard of football than League Two. And he was
TONY Stokes admits three defeats in four games have given Concord a “wake-up call” going into tonight’s league cup final with Dulwich Hamlet. Losses to Wealdstone, Hendon and East Thurrock, either side of a win over Canvey, have slowed the Beachboys
STEVE Kavanagh wants Sunday’s JPT final with Crewe Alexandra to be the start of a more successful era for Southend United, both on and off the pitch. The Blues chief executive was proud to see more than 31,000 supporters cheering on the side at
THE future of two day centres which care for people with learning disabilities is under threat. Southend Council is considering closing the Avro centre, in Aviation Way, Southend, after successfully shifting most of its services to a new base in
TOXIC asbestos tiles are being used to patch up unmade roads in Thundersley, it has been claimed. Serious concerns have been raised for public health and safety after the tiles, believed to be made from the potentially lethal substance, have been
WHEN Linda Payne first donned some Victorian clothes she could not have predicted that it would eventually land her a role in a Hollywood blockbuster. Linda, who is a founding member of a Victorian re-enactment group, had a small part in Les Miserables
A HOST of popular names take to the stage this week at the Belvedere Jazz Club as it welcomes back sax player Jo Fooks, as well as singer Sue Rivers. Jo has gone down a storm with club-goers on previous visits, so she’s sure to be a popular draw
TWO men were left with horrific slash wounds after refusing to hand over their phones to two thugs. The blood-soaked victims managed to flee the scene at Blackdown flats in North Road, Westcliff, and flag down a passing car. A woman in the
A MAN is due to appear in court today after having been charged with raping another man in Southend. Andrezj Kwiatkowski will be at Southend Magistrates Court charged with three counts of rape and two counts of committing a sexual assault.
COUNCILLORS are calling on a bus boss to explain service cuts at a crunch meeting as more routes appear under threat. Southend Council’s bus working party has asked the regional director of First Bus in for a meeting after officers reported routes
A YOUNG special constable who suffered terrible head injuries in a car accident is set to receive a six figure interim compensation pay out. Reece Clarke from Shoebury, was just 19 and looking forward to a police career when the squad car he was
PLANS to introduce more average speed cameras on the A127 to cut collisions have been scrapped due to budget cuts, the Echo can reveal. Last year Essex County Council announced plans to extend the area covered by average speed cameras to take in
