FOUR and a half months ago, Niko Kranjcar was part of the Croatia side that ended England's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 with a 3-2 win at Wembley. That very same week, West Ham drew at home with Tottenham and gained a point that put them 10th in
SOUTHEND Borough Combination division four champions Ashingdon Boys Reserves lost out on their hopes of a double last night when they were beaten 3-1 by Trinity in the final of the Faux Cup at Eastwoodbury Lane.
IT has been hailed as health care for the 21st century, and now Leigh Primary Care Centre is set to open its doors to the community it will serve. The multi-million pound high-tech health centre is part of a campaign to improve NHS buildings, both locally
CONCORD Rangers suffered a massive blow to their hopes of winning the Essex Senior League title and promotion to the Ryman League when they lost 1-0 to fellow challengers Enfield 1893 last night. A Sherwin Stanley goal gave the hosts victory at Ware
CANVEY gave their hopes of making the end of season Ryman One North play-offs a massive boost last night with one of their best results of the season. They went to second-placed AFC Sudbury, the only team in with a chance of pipping Dartford for the
GRAYS Athletic's faint hopes of edging into the Blue Square play-offs were extinguished at Weymouth last night in a keenly contested, enjoyable 1-1 draw from which both sides deserved to take something. Grays came out of the traps at a fair pace and
STEVE Tilson's lucky pre-match shirt looks set to get a whole lot filthier. The Southend United manager will not wash his top until his side lose again at Roots Hall but on current form that looks unlikely to happen in the near future. In fact, last
FROM a young age Smriti Jhingan has known she wanted to help the many children in India less fortunate than her, it was just a case of when and how. Visiting the country every year to see family living in northern India gave her a unique appreciation
WORKERS across Basildon and Thurrock united to raise precious funds for a hospice. Thousands of firms took part in a Bring a Pound into Work day, organised by St Luke's Hospice. Alison Jones, from St Luke's, said: "It was a big success. We've had lots
MARK Noble has been ruled out of West Ham's Premier League clash with Portsmouth at Upton Park tonight with a hamstring injury. The 20-year-old was hurt during a training session earlier this week and now faces a race to be fit for Saturday's trip
ROBERT Green's career has had its fair share of ups and downs - but nothing that would have prepared him for the challenge of climbing Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimajaro. The West Ham goalkeeper is widely acknowledged as one of football's
ASHINGDON Youth, a progressive club with their own ground and facilities at Cherry Orchard Lane, Rochford, need players for their under-9 Lions team competing in the South East Essex Mini Soccer League next season. Go along to their training sessions
SOUTHEND Swifts girls have repeated their 2007 performance after all three of their age group teams won through to the national final fours at RAF Cosford. While the under-14s and 18s got through their quarter-finals by securing away wins on Saturday
SOUTHEND and District Bowling Association completed their indoor season with a visit to Cheshunt in Hertfordshire where they came away losing by 32 shots (142-110). Scores (Southend first): K Boobyer 10, D Baker 41; R Dorrington 21, T Mascot 15; J Stokes
A NINE-year-old boy has been left scarred for life after being attacked by a neighbour's dog. Jamie Saveall, of Thistley Close, Leigh, needed a total of 40 stitches above his left eye and below his chin after he was bitten by the 18-month-old rottweiler
A COUNCILLOR who dropped Labour and declared herself an independent has been branded a "dead loss" by her former boss. Basildon Labour group leader Nigel Smith is furious with Jane Dyer, the incumbent councillor for Vange, who told her party she was
A DOCKER has won £92,168 on the National Lottery. Robert Marriott, 52, and his wife Pam, 53, from Basildon, are already planning a dream holiday in Egypt next year, a fishing weekend in France and home improvements. Robert, who unloads cargo from ships
BILLERICAY Rugby Club will be holding their annual invitation sevens festival on Saturday, April 26, at their Willowbrook Ground, in Stock Road, Billericay, home, starting at 11am. Further details on the event are available from: billericayrfc@hotmail.co.uk
A MAN has been seriously injured in a car crash. The crash happened at about 3.45pm today (Tuesday) when the car left the road outside Castle Point Council offices in Thundersley. The car ended up in a garden off Kiln Road and the driver, a man in his
A BANK worker who shared thousands of images of children being sexually abused among a perverted internet community has been jailed for more than three years. Christopher Oakes, 36, of Victoria Road, Southend, made and distributed more than 32,000 images
Monday April 14th are at: 0622 and 1853 Tuesday April 15th are at: 0742 and 2003 Wednesday April 16th are at: 0847 and 2102 Thursday April 17th are at: 0940 and 2154 Friday April 18th are at: 1028
BASILDON MP Angela Smith discussed employment rights with staff at a temporary workers' agency. Mrs Smith, who is parliamentary private secretary to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, talked with staff at Premier Work Support, at their office in East Square
BASILDON council has admitted a cafe was "harshly treated" in a recent survey on food hygiene. Bella Rossi Ice Cream Cafe, in Town Square, Basildon, was named as one of 39 out of 787 food outlets which gained no stars out of five in an extensive two-year
WITH spring here New Year's resolutions to keep healthy have become distant memories. While most of us know our health is important, it takes a bit of thought, time and knowledge to keep in tip-top condition and it can be all too easy to fall into unhealthy
AS a teenage swimmer, Craig Maddocks's future was looking bright. From the age of 13, he was regularly winning county events and reaching national finals. To get to that level took an incredible amount of commitment and Craig would put in two to three
HER love affair with the stiletto is legendary, but fashion goddess Victoria Beckham may soon find herself wearing something a little less flattering on her feet - bandages. The singer has told friends her bunions are now so bad she is seriously considering
SOUTH Woodham Ferrers Inline Rollerspeed Skating team enjoyed a fruitful day's racing at the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield. The event brought to a close a successful indoor season for the team, with members racing in inter-club categories
A CAREER criminal who was given the chance to turn his life around was locked up for two years yesterday after the court finally ran out of patience. Drug addict Michael Emmens, 29, was sentenced to a two-year community order after he was convicted in
FURIOUS neighbours living alongside a railway line have slammed Network Rail as "environmental vandals" for cutting down hundreds of trees and bushes along an embankment. Residents in Ambleside Drive, near Southend East train station, say they are angry
A SENIOR Tory councillor has been cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service. The inquiry was launched in February following complaints about Anna Waite's election expenses. Mrs Waite, who won the St Luke's
A CARE home, a central heating company and a firm that makes lifts for the Imperial War Museum are some of the first nominees for a new business award. Castle Point Borough Council started the award as part of its drive to celebrate and encourage business
MEMORIES of Canvey can now be shared with the launch of the new community archive for the island. The Canvey Community Archive will gather memories as well as keeping photographs and other documents that relate to the history of the island. It was formed
AN afternoon tea break for Neighbourhood Watch area manager Maria Georgiou was interrupted for a special presentation. Castle Point Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership showed their appreciation for Mrs Georgiou's commitment to the scheme over 15
NEIGHBOURS have objected to plans to turn a family house into a home for young people with learning difficulties. An application was lodged with Castle Point Council in February to develop 57 London Road, Benfleet, to house four youngsters aged between
THE seahorses in the Southend estuary have now been given legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. While it is good to know that they're being looked after, it is hard to imagine anyone would want to harm these delightful creatures.
WHEN it comes to allocating places at secondary schools, you can't please all of the people all of the time, especially when some schools are heavily oversubscribed. Rough justice is one thing, but a system that produces totally loopy results clearly
A MAN sexually abused two schoolgirls during an eight-year period, a court heard yesterday. Wayne Bruce, 50, sexually assaulted one of the victims for the first time after he lured her to woods in Vange, when she was just eight years old. Anthony Abell
PUPILS had their commitment and enthusiasm rewarded at a celebration awards assembly. There were cakes and certificates for youngsters at Belhus Chase specialist humanities college, whose parents were also invited along to look at their work. Wendy
SWAN Mead, having already collected the Southend District League division one title, completed a fine double at Eastwoodbury Lane. They triumphed 2-0 over Southend Borough Combination side Barnsford Hurricanes to win the BLESMA Shield, the Southend Charity
Ton-up - Southend Manor captain Jason Jay receives a plaque from club chairman Bob Westley to celebrate becoming the fourth player to make 100 first team starts for the club.
HIS side may be languishing 10th in the table, but Grays Athletic's recent superb run has chairman/manager Mike Wood-ward dreaming of the Blue Square Premier end-of-season play-offs. On Saturday the New Rec side won 3-2 at play-off hunting Burton Albion
CONCORD Rangers will hope to continue to have the Indian Sign over their Essex Senior League title rivals Enfield 1893 when the pair clash at Ware tonight. The Canvey based side have met tonight's hosts four times this season - and have come out on top
ALAN Curbishley has called on his West Ham team to bring FA Cup finalists Portsmouth - and former Irons hero Harry Redknapp - "down to earth with a bump" at Upton Park tonight. Pompey, managed by ex-Hammers player and boss Redknapp, arrive in East London
HAVING recovered from the hernia which halted the start of his Southend United career, Alex Revell is desperate to face his former Brighton and Hove Albion side this evening. The striker swapped the Seagulls for the Shrimpers during the January transfer
SOUTHEND Rugby Club retained their Essex Senior Cup crown with a thumping 52-23 victory over Eton Manor at the hosts' New Wilderness home. The Seasiders produced a professional performance to see off their London Two North hosts. And that pleased coach
ROCHFORD stunned local rivals Westcliff to get their hands on the Essex Intermediate Cup, with a 12-0 win at Warners Bridge on Sunday. Hundred were real underdogs against the London Three North East champions who had already beaten them twice this season
BRITKA Karate Club members Alex Browne and Joe Phillips have both reached black belt status in the sport. The duo, who are aged 14 and live in Shoebury, passed an intense grading and sensei Russell Garrard was full of praise for their work. "They have
OLD Southendian footballers claimed the first piece of County cup silverware in their 102-year history as they recorded a 3-0 triumph over Rochford Sports and Social at a wintry Park Lane. They won the Essex Saturday Veterans Cup final and joint manager
SOUTHEND United fans could forgive manager Steve Tilson for getting a little bit shirty during tonight's clash with Brighton and Hove Albion at Roots Hall. For the Blues boss' latest superstition is to not wash his match-day shirt until his side suffer
FANATICAL Southend United supporter Adam Duffill will finally fulfil a lifetime ambition tonight by playing at Roots Hall. But the 18-year-old from Hockley will be using his guitar and not a football in front of what should be another big crowd. "I
ESSEX star Ryan ten Doeschate has led the Netherlands to a thrilling ICC Intercontinental Cup win over the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah. The powerful all-rounder smashed six sixes and 20 fours in a fantastic innings of 146 as the Dutch clinched a
ASHINGDON Boys Reserves meet Trinity tonight in the final of the Southend Borough Combination's Faux Cup at Eastwoodbury Lane, (7.30pm).
CANVEY Island's hopes of making the play-offs will become clearer after tonight's visit to AFC Sudbury. The clash represents a tough midweek journey for John Batch's men against hosts lying second in the table but, if they can return with all three points
GROVEWOOD Sports are on the lookout for new players for next season's under-15 team. Any players keen on joining the Rayleigh-based Southend & District Junior League team can contact Darren Emerson on 01268 763006.
VOTING has started for Southend United's player of the season award. They will again be collated by text and anyone wishing to vote should text STHND followed by their chosen player's squad number to 88442. Texts cost 25p.
PITSEA Running Club stage the first of their summer season Wednesday night 5K runs tomorrow. The event start at Westley Heights Country Park at the rear of the Crown (Harvester) Public House, in High Road, Langdon Hills. The race starts at 7.30 pm.
SOUTHEND United have introduced a new ticket-by-text system to help make purchasing tickets even easier for their supporters. This new initiative, which has never been used before by a football club in Great Britain, allows fans to receive their tickets
JAMES Lindie returned from his spell on work experience at Harlow Town to grab an important equaliser as Southend United's Under-18 side stretched their unbeaten run to four matches with a 1-1 draw against Peterborough United on Saturday. The second-year
BRIGHTON face a defensive crisis for tonight's clash at Roots Hall. Centre half Joel Lynch is doubtful with a knock sustained in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Port Vale and his natural replacement Guy Butters is suffering with a virus. Gary Hart, who
GRAYS and Chadwell have won the Thurrock Indoor Cricket League's midweek division. They clinched their success when they beat Belhus A by four wickets in their final match. Belhus made 85-5 with Chris Didd scoring 39 not out and Neil Samwell taking
WEST Ham manager Alan Curbishley has admitted he was interested in signing Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe - who will miss tonight's game to attend his grandmother's funeral on the Caribbean island of St Lucia - last summer. The pint-sized forward -
UNDERSTANDABLY, tonight's visit to Upton Park is low down the list of Portsmouth's priorities. Having reached their first FA Cup final in 69 years by beating West Bromwich Albion at Wembley on Saturday, Pompey are not exactly fully-focused on tonight's
GREAT Wakering Rovers take on holders Met Police in the semi-finals of the Isthmian Veterans Cup at Burroughs Park tonight (7.45pm).
LFC INSURANCE ESSEX OLYMPIAN LEAGUE Senior Division Cup Rd 4: Kelvedon Hatch 2 Ongar Town 0, Manford Way 0 Frenford Senior 1, Takeley 0 Westhamians 0 - Westhamians won 4-2 on penalties, Writtle 2 M&B Club 5. Reserve Division Cup semi-final: Shell Club
I am not surprised Southend Hospital has been criticised for being dirty. I wrote to them two years ago about the dirt I saw and they said they would clean up. The lift being used for patients, food and rubbish, had a tile missing on the floor
When we booked tickets to see "Danny Champion of the World" at the Cliffs Pavilion with our grandson I hoped it would be as good as the book. We were not disappointed. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, especially the audience participation
Walking down Clay Hill Road, Basildon recently, I witnessed a young lady, on a cycle, go flying over her handlebars as she went into a big pothole. Thank God, she was not badly hurt. It's time those responsible for repairing roads realised potholes
Although I am over 70 with epilepsy, I still keep active with table tennis once a week at the Markhams Chase Sports Centre in Laindon. I used to be a member of the George Hurd Centre before I started to have some problems with the management
An unhappy aspect of the refugee question is when people who have been refugees and are now ensconced pull up the drawbridge and make new arrivals unwelcome. Much worse is when the anti-refugee trail goes down the empathy route picking up, sadly
What exactly is Southend Council playing at? It has stated it wants to rejuvenate Southend High Street to make it more attractive to shoppers, and put the town on the map. Well, all they have succeeded in doing is making it even less appealing
AN ENDANGERED species of seahorse, found swimming off Southend, has now been given special protection. Single instances of short-snouted seahorses have been found in the Thames Estuary since at least 2004 when one was found by a Leigh fisherman. The
Just after Christmas last year the Echo carried a report claiming zero tolerance on various driving offences by Insp Dick Thomas, who had just taken over as supremo of Laindon traffic police. Having seen no noticeable improvement in the numbers I see
A FAMILY was today counting the cost of a blaze which destroyed three workshops in their garden. Steve kemp, 49, from Hovefields Drive, Wickford, estimates the cost of replacing two vehicles, a go-cart and several tools could be up to £6,000 on top
MORE than £1million in Government grants will be handed out to councils across south Essex to help business growth. Southend was the biggest winner in the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive grants, announced by the Federation of Small Businesses
A COMPANY which began on Canvey has celebrated its 75th anniversary as the runner-up in a national award. Tower Radio has been named the runner-up in the Retailer of the Year award. Tower, a family business, was established on Canvey in 1933 and has
TRAVELLERS have ignored an order by Southend Council to move off from East Beach in Shoebury. The group of six caravans set up on the land, after the barrier was left open on Friday. Council officers ordered they must move on by the end of Monday, April
STARTING a new secondary school should be an exciting time full of expectation and hope for the future. For many youngsters, it is a relief to find out they have secured a place at the school they wanted, often with their friends from primary school.
A YOUNG father who rescued his three children from their burning home has been hailed a hero. Daniel Arnold, 23, of Brighton Avenue, Southend, was woken early on Monday morning as a fierce blaze engulfed his house. Surrounded by flames, he grabbed his
PASSENGERS can take a trip from Southend Pier on the Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. The historic ship and her consort, the Balmoral, are now operated by a charity and carry some 250,000 passengers each year along the coasts
CANVEY residents have backed plans for a nature reserve and community area on the island. The Land Restoration Trust ran workshops and consulted residents to on its plans to turn the 250-acre Canvey Wick site, next to Morrisons supermarket, into an oasis
A TRADER who sold putrid meat from his van to unsuspecting customers has been brought to justice - three years after being caught. Carl Manning disappeared after being caught by environmental health officers selling rotten meat at a market in Grays,
RESIDENTS across Laindon are being warned to be wary of crooks posing as council officials following scores of metal thefts. There has been a sharp rise in the number of thefts of valuable metals, such as lead and copper, because of growing demand for
PEOPLE concerned about hospital cleanliness are being urged to challenge health workers on whether they have washed their hands. Andrew Pike, chief executive of South East Essex Primary Care Trust, said huge efforts were being made to reduce the spread
CLIMATE campaigners took to Southend Pier to call on the Government to pay more attention to carbon dioxide from airplanes. A new Climate Change Bill, currently being discussed in the House of Lords, will monitor all carbon dioxide emissions, except
CHILDREN'S artwork will be displaying the important message to clean your hands at Southend Hospital. Three budding young artists beat off competition from more than 500 other primary school children from across south Essex to win a poster competition
A FRAIL pensioner suffered cuts to her face and hands after being targeted by a man who tried to snatch her handbag, a court was told. Stefan Schmidt, 45, followed the 79-year-old woman as she walked along an alleyway in Oakengrange Drive, Southend.
MORE bell ringers are needed to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics. The Essex Association of Change Ringers needs to increase its numbers by at least 200, in order to ring every bell tower in Essex and within the M25 for the sporting event. The association
THE first stage in a revamp of Basildon Council's reception area has been completed. A new revolving entrance, central reception, planning desk and cashier points are now greeting visitors to the town centre offices in St Martin's Square. Once finished
A TAXI rank was decorated with old photos and a walking frame to celebrate the 65th birthday of a popular cabbie. Ralph Morgan, who turned 65, was not expecting the birthday surprise when he pulled into the rank, off Southernhay, in Basildon town centre
HUNDREDS of residents have made it clear they want radical change in Grays. The Thames Gateway Development Corporation sent out more than 7,000 questionnaires, asking residents about their views on the town's masterplan. Four hundred responses were
A WOMAN celebrated her 50th birthday by raising £900 for St Luke's Hospice in memory of a friend. Jane Robinson, of Teviot Avenue, Aveley, organised a raffle at her birthday party for Christine Hern, 49, who lost her 14-month battle with cancer in February
FIREFIGHTERS at Hadleigh fire station have sent heartfelt thanks to members of the public who backed their fundraising campaign in memory of a colleague who died in a road smash in Thundersley. Friends of biker Stephen Capp spoke of their appreciation
MOST 14-year-olds can only dream of getting behind the wheel of a car at their age, let alone being a racing driver. However, Aaron Trigwell is about to start his first season in the Saxmax championship, a saloon car tournament for teenagers aged 14
A MAN has told of the terrifying moment his throat was cut in an unprovoked attack. The 36-year-old, who asked not to be named, needed 30 stitches to the wound, which stretched the length of his throat. The man, from Fobbing, was walking his dog along
