PENSIONER William Nicklin vividly remembers the night a German bomber was shot down in Widnes. He was outside his family's shop with his mates in Moor Lane, looking up at the sky. "I saw the trace of gun fire as it hit the German plane," recalled William
TO STOP burglars having a merry Christmas at your expense this year, Runcorn police are urging people to take a few simple precautions. And the burglary unit is setting up a Cop Shop at Halton Lea in the run-up to Christmas to give further advice on how
COURAGEOUS schoolboy David Murphy has been hailed a hero after saving his mother from a house fire. He was disturbed from his sleep by the smell of smoke and immediately alerted her to the danger. She had fallen asleep and was totally unaware of the fire
Stockport u11s 19 Wids Kids u11s 45 WIDNES u11s got off to a flyer converting early forward pressure into tries from Alan Carr, Jack Cosgrove and two from Chris O'Donnell. Widnes were now over confident, eased up, and let Stockport in for two breakaway
West Bank u11s 24 Ashton u11s 4 A FINE first-half from both teams saw West Bank take the lead through Craig Tunstead who also converted. Ashton replied but failed to convert giving a half-time score of 6-4. The Bears stepped up a gear after the break
West Bank 16 Farnworth 16 THE BANK gained their first league point of the season with a richly deserved drawn game against local rivals Farnworth. The game was closely fought and a draw was a fair result, in the end the game could have gone either way
TWO undercover policewomen who infiltrated a major drugs ring have been praised for their bravery by a judge. The pair posed as heroin users to win the friendship of dealers, Warrington Crown Court was told. Judge David Hale commended them for their courage
A MAN has been charged with murder following a stabbing at a house in Netherley Road, Tarbock, near Widnes. John Brake, 54, of Mill Brook Cottage, was found dead by Merseyside police officers shortly before 8am on Saturday, November 21. He died from stab
A MAN needed micro-surgery after being kicked about the head and body over a dispute over pie and chips, Warrington Crown Court heard on Friday. Adam Berrington, 19, of Halegate Road, Mark Birdseye, 21, of Browning Avenue, and Ian Richards, 20, of Hale
TWO police officers are in hospital after an attack outside a Widnes pub. One has a fractured jaw and the other a shattered cheek bone and broken jaw. Both have numerous cuts and bruises. The attack happened on Saturday night shortly after 11pm. Three
POLICE are asking for witnesses to a weekend road incident in Ditton Road to come forward. A Ford Escort driven by a man from Runcorn was cut off by a blue Ford Fiesta on the A562 on Saturday at 11.15am. The Escort driver was forced to take evasive action
RUNCORN returned to Unibond action with a 2-0 defeat away to Hyde United. Cup commitments of one kind and another have seen the Linnets largely inactive on the league front in recent weeks. And Monday night was to be the first of five games Derek Brownbill's
SHOWN with just a few of their medals and trophies, two seasoned rowers from Grange Comprehensive School are Danny Blanchard and Laura Wiggins. Danny has developed his skills first as a single sculler and now as a double sculler (two rowing in one boat1
Windmill Hill Junior Football Club Beechwood Snrs u12s 12 Windmill Hill Jnrs 0 BEECHWOOD Snrs capitalised on their extra size and strength to comfortably beat Windmill Hill Jnrs 12-0. Strong midfield play combined with excellent finishing gave Beechwood
West Cheshire Third Division Willaston 2 Mond Rangers Reserves 2 MOND dominated the opening half with Worthington in sparkling form down the right. A series of opportunities presented themselves but Mond were unable to capitalise. An inspired introduction
Didsbury TOC H 1st 11 Helsby 33 HELSBY returned to winning ways with a comfortable league victory in Manchester. The signs were there from the start when flanker, Paul Wyatt broke through the home defence and fed winger Phil Gibson who scored the opening
TAXI drivers are split in their reaction to news that fares in Halton are set to rise from next week. The move, which includes the founding of a new representative body, follows a council decision taken this week to increase the standard tariffs which
JOYRIDERS took a bus from a depot in Beechwood Avenue, Runcorn. The Arriva North West bus was taken by two offenders shortly after 8.30pm on Monday and driven off. The runaway bus' progress was halted by a wall on the Greenway Road. The trainee driver
SUPPORT and training is available to the unemployed in the borough thanks to an SRB-funded project in Runcorn Old Town. A research project carried out with SRB funding looked into training and employment within the Runcorn on the Mersey area and found
POLICE are hunting a pair of thieves who robbed a teenage boy of his bicycle in Runcorn. The 17-year-old victim was cycling his BMX Revo bike along the Halton Road at 12.30am on Sunday, November 1 when he was attacked by two youths, one slim and the other
BIDDULPH High School pupils are to be urged to vote in local elections when a roadshow visits their school. The roadshow is being planned by the Moorlands District Council, which is concerned about the poor voting turnout at local government elections
BIG-HEARTED teenager Daniel Brierley defied gales and driving rain to cycle from Manchester to Blackpool for charity. Daniel, aged 14, from Gowy Close, Alsager, raised £80 for cancer research with the 60-mile sponsored fund-raiser. Daniel is a pupil at
BREWERY bosses launch a new festive ale tonight as a thankyou to Congleton's growing band of real ale drinkers. Ales produced by Lancaster brewers Mitchells have proved a major hit since Congleton Leisure Centre switched to them exclusively. Mitchells
GLITTERING costumes will transform a group of teenagers into a line-up of dazzling dancers for a classic musical next week. Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre is staging the world-famous Gershwin musical Crazy for You from December 8 to 12 at Congleton's
ADVENTUROUS Eva Clarance is dreaming of exotic Egyptian sunsets after the success of charity fund-raisers. Mrs Clarance, pictured left, from Reades Lane, Congleton, had to raise £1,155 by this week to confirm her place on a cycling marathon. Mrs Clarance
FURTHER tests were this week being carried out to establish how a young man died after enjoying a game of football. Henry Brall, aged 23, collapsed while playing five-a-side at Congleton Leisure Centre with workmates from a computer firm. He died despite
HEADTEACHER Gay Challiner paid tribute this week to a well-loved primary school teacher who died in a car crash. Mother-of-two Barbara Talbot, aged 45, died after her car was involved in a head-on collision on Thursday. Mrs Talbot, from Holly Lane, Alsager
ANGRY mums are due to launch a series of demonstrations next week to try and force a builder to open a footpath link to a school. The protests are planned by residents from Bromley Farm in Congleton, who are demanding the path be reopened. The path was
Under 10s rugby Sandbach A - 40 Stafford A - 5 THIS fast moving game was played in extremely cold conditions but the weather did not detract from the action on the pitch. Sandbach dominated from the beginning with the ball being quickly moved along the
NANTWICH Town bowed out of the F.A.Vase at Staveley Miners Welfare on Saturday despite almost taking the lead in the first minute. A scuffed shot from Matt Patrick almost gave his side the lead but his effort went just wide of the post and Staveley's
Crewe Alex - 0 Ipswich Town - 3 CREWE Alex fought hard to bring high-flying Ipswich down to earth at Gresty Road on Saturday but were sunk by a hat-trick from James Scowcroft. The Super Blues emphasised the contrast in striking quality between the two
A NANTWICH wildlife group has taken the first steps to save one of the country's most endangered trees. The local branch of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust started the planting of black poplar trees at Bratherton Hall Farm on Friday. Black Poplars are considered
A SECURITY project introduced to crack down on burglars in Crewe and Nantwich has been extended to help residents feel safer. The initiative was first launched by the council and police in October 1997, and provided a low cost home security package to
A HORRIFIC pile-up on the M6 near Sandbach killed three men and put another in a critical condition in hospital on Friday. The whole southbound carriageway had to be shut down for over eight hours after the four-vehicle smash, at 10.45pm half a mile past
A SUBSTANTIAL reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of two youths who raided a Crewe petrol station last week. Crewe CID have issued descriptions of the thieves who distracted a shop assistant to steal cash from
A MOTHER-of-two is frightened for the lives of her children after a series of animal shootings in Crewe. Kathy Breathen, of Badger Avenue, has been forced to keep her three and four-year-olds out of the cross fire as cruel snipers injure and kill local
POLICE are hunting a youth who assaulted a Crewe pensioner on his own doorstep last weekend. Raymond Probin, aged 67, was hit on the back of the head with a beer bottle and kicked in the face while he was on the floor during the attack in Catherine Street
A WIDNES teenager proved to be one in 50,000 this week when the army selected him to go on a training trip to South Africa. Greg Hill (left), 17, of Sandringham Road, was one of only 18 people chosen for the three-week course next July. His delighted
THERE'S is no one who loves a celebration more than me, but I really do believe that we are forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. I am desperately sorry for hard-up parents who have been caught up in the massive media hype surrounding the latest toy
A PIONEERING initiative was launched by Widnes police this week to combat Christmas burglars. Detectives say December is the busiest time of the year for break-ins as criminals realise houses are full of expensive presents. Operation Broadcast aims to
"LITERACY" - what an uninspiring, boring kind of word! The kind of word that makes you think of homework, inky fingers and furrowed brows. Yet as every reader knows, worlds of magic, mystery and imagination can be found within the covers of a million
Widnes Schools Rugby League Association NASUWT/ESRL Under 11 League Allerdale u11s 0 Widnes u11s 66 IN order to help the Allerdale side in its first season of competition and also so that these youngsters could play on a professional ground, this fixture
North West Counties Division One Widnes Albert 10 West Sutton 30 PLAYING their first home game since early September the Albert played well in patches but ran out of steam in the second-half as they went down to a well organised West Sutton side. West
Halton Hornets u10s 42 Crosfields u10s 12 CROSFIELDS had no answer to Hornets devastating attack. Tries from D Donoghue (4), Connolly, Purcell and Shaw with goals from Dean (4), Robinson and Lunt. A good defensive performance from Wood and K Donoghue.
A MAN stole whisky worth almost £50 to celebrate his birthday, magistrates at Warrington heard on Wednesday. Nigel Stonehouse, 30, of Allerton Road, Widnes, admitted stealing four bottles of whisky from Asda in Warrington and was fined £90 with costs.
A HAULIER who spent three months in prison after being arrested at gunpoint in Widnes is set to sue Customs and Excise after all charges were dropped. Eugene Marsh was one of three men arrested in Ditton Road in July last year after boxes containing 200
Under 9 Sean McDermott Cup Legion B 0 Windmill Hill 4 WINDMILL Hill earned a hard-fought victory to progress to the next round of the cup. An early goal by Harry Elliss was the perfect start but Legion rolled up their sleeves and battled hard for the
THE VIKINGS are in line for a massive cash injection after club directors were given the go-ahead to sell their stake in the Auto Quest Stadium. At an extraordinary general meeting on Monday night, shareholders voted to allow directors to proceed with
SKI-SUNDAY commences on Sunday, January 10, each Sunday for four weeks until January 31, 1999. The courses are to be held at Runcorn Artificial Ski-Slope and are designed to prepare skiers before they embark on their skiing holiday, with the intention
RNA and Waterloo both secured 5/4 victories last Thursday night at the expense of Likely Lads and Weston Point SC respectively which has resulted in them both remaining locked at the top of Section Two. More significant than this, however, is the fact
ANGRY residents are fuming over the stench from the brand new £40 million North West Water sludge plant. They said there was an "appalling smell" from the Shell Green incinerator on Monday evening. "It was absolutely putrid," said a resident of Weates
THE threat of a strike at ICI over the company's planned sale of its maintenance division appears to have receded after workers voted to delay a decision on industrial action at a meeting on Thursday. But management and unions are no nearer agreement
A 17-YEAR-OLD girl was glassed in the face at Chino's nightclub on Saturday night. The girl, who has not been named, praised the prompt action of the club's bouncers who detained her assailant. The victim was treated at Whiston Hospital for cuts to her
A TEENAGE boy has this week been charged with offences of indecency against two younger boys. Police inquiries are continuing into allegations made against the Runcorn 14-year-old, who was arrested by Runcorn police in connection with offences. A Cheshire
AN INNOCENT kiss with a girl he used to know at school cost a Runcorn man his life. Jealous husband Christopher Henry happened to drive up, saw the kiss and got the wrong impression, Warrington Crown Court was told. He struck just one blow to the jaw
THERE may be a breakthrough in the investigation into the death of Aaron Vernett-Showers when detectives questioned a man in Jamaica. Runcorn police have spoken with the man, who was arrested in Jamaica last month in connection with other offences, in
A Gawsworth resident struck lucky in the weekly lottery run by the East Cheshire Hospice. The villager scooped the second prize of £200, one of 125 prizes on offer every week, including a jackpot of £2,000. All the profits from the lottery go towards
TRAVEL advisor Kerry Powell is certainly going places after winning a new car in an Avis promotion. Kerry, aged 21, from Redfern Avenue, Congleton, works for Going Places travel agents in Bridge Street, and won a Vauxhall Corsa Merit. She scooped her
YOBS caused £1,000 worth of damage to a car when they threw a concrete slab through its back windscreen at 3am. The hooligans ran off after smashing the window on the Ford Granada estate, which was parked in Sandbach Road, Congleton, Converted for the
MORE than £100,000 has been set aside by the Moorlands Council for a major revamp of Biddulph Town Hall. Some £102,000 has been allocated by the district council for the rewiring of the town hall and refurbishing the toilets. The money will also be used
ALSAGER children are to stage their own version of a classic festive tale to help raise funds for Russian and Latvian orphans. Some 20 children will be putting on the special performance of The Russian Shoemaker at Highfield Primary School in Alsager
SUE Bethel's magnificent seven have pirouetted their way into a major production of one of the world's most famous ballets. The youngsters from Alsager School of Dancing were chosen for the cast for the English Youth Ballet's production of The Nutcracker
HUNDREDS of people packed into St Peter's Church, Congleton, on Monday to pay their last respects to popular charity fund-raiser Colin Dale. Mr Dale, from Timbersbrook near Congleton, died at the age of 64 after a 12-month battle against lymphoma, a type
ALSAGER School has scored a top 20 hit by producing some of the best A-level results in the country. The school scored an average points score of 23.8 for pupils entered for two or more A-levels in this summer's exams. That success placed it among the
SCORES of factory workers are to lose their jobs a week before Christmas in the latest blow to the Congleton economy. Some 71 jobs are to go following news that replica football shirt maker Parker Hirst is to close its Congleton factory. Workers at the
Not Athletic 1 Roses Rangers 3; Route One 0 Saxon Cross 0; Not Athletic 3 BRISCA 0; Route One 3 Roses Rangers 0; Flowcrete Wanderers 3 Saxon Cross 1; Buglawton Warriors 4 BRISCA 1; Crewesaders 1 Brazilian All Stars 0; Oakwood Strollers 0 Flowcrete Wanderers
Ruskin Park 5 Crewe & Nantwich...27 IT was essential that playing the bottom club in the league at St Helens last Saturday Crewe & Nantwich, themselves in the danger zone, had to put some breathing space between themselves and their opponents
THE signing of a match-day physio is the next priority for Dario Gradi after current healer Eddie Edwards decided to leave the club. "He's very busy because he has got some more business supplying first aid equipment and commitments became difficult for
CREWE boss Dario Gradi says he has drawn a blank in his bid to bring a striker to Gresty Road on loan. Gradi has been looking to sign another front man since the end of last season but more recently has been looking to secure a temporary move to bolster
TEACHERS at Brine Leas High School were celebrating this week after being named one of the most improved schools nationally. The school was among a select few to receive an invitation to a Department of Education and Employment reception in London for
DOLPHINS and mermaids are among the images transforming a room at Stapeley Water Gardens into a lost world. Liverpool-based scheme Art For Their Sakes creates murals at hospitals and hospices around the country to cheer up sick and injured children. The
FUNNYMAN Ken Dodd showed Crewe's Mayor and Mayoress how tickled he was to be in town for the big switch-on last week. The comedy legend set the town alight with a wave of his tickling stick last Thursday to kick off the festive season. Street entertainment
A TRIP in a Rolls-Royce and a family meal for 19 formed part of the celebrations for a Golden Wedding Anniversary. Harold and Dilys Carless, from Millbeck Close, Weston married in 1948 and have now celebrated 50 years of togetherness. They met while they
AN APPEAL has been made to the people of Haslington to save the village's only girl guides group from going to the wall at Christmas. The organisation looks likely to fold if a replacement can't be found for guider Karen Merrill, who is set to leave the
YOUNG cricketers from Crewe have scooped a top sporting and fitness award from South Cheshire Health Authority. The Crewe Rolls-Royce Under 15 Cricket Team were awarded the Category Two Group Award (Community) which was open to people who had contributed
SPORTING memorabilia will be on display in Crewe next week to celebrate the latest additions to the borough's Roll of Honour. The newly admitted members have lent the borough council a variety of sporting memorabilia which will be on display from December
THE proposed Nantwich Museum extension project has been handed a cash boost as trustees hope to make it fourth time lucky at a planning meeting next week. Museum trustees were delighted when it was announced at a meeting last week that 3C Waste and Cheshire
THE court appearance of former Animal Rescue founder Ann Stott has been delayed until next year after she was deemed too ill to attend last week. Over 20 members of the public packed the viewing gallery under police supervision at Crewe Magistrates last
A Crewe railway worker, dubbed The Fat Controller, has been jailed for 27 months for stealing over £50,000 of train engines, wagons and coaches. Disgraced Barry Daly - who got into the clutches of loan sharks - bowed his head in the dock as he was branded
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after robbers armed with sledgehammers stole more than £100,000 worth of goods from a Crewe jewellery shop. The robbers struck at CH Moody's on the corner of High Street and Edleston Road on Monday afternoon. They escaped
PARENTS and teachers at a Nantwich primary school are joining together to help a young pupil with learning difficulties. Matthew Roberts, aged eight, is a pupil at The Wyche School and suffers from Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome which comes under
