Archive
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ALSAGER FLY HIGH AT TOP OF TABLE
HIGHFLYING Alsager have gone clear at the top of the league after another convincing victory on Saturday. Cheadle Old Boys were the latest scalps for the table-topping side, who won 2-0 at home to go three points clear. Cheadle started well, but Alsager
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SILVER ANNIVERSARY FOR ADULLAM HOMES
CONGLETON'S town and borough mayors have been invited to join in tomorrow's planned celebrations for the success of a major homeless initiative. Adullam Homes Housing Association is 25 years old this year, and has provided housing for homeless people
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BAKERS' GATE GIFT
MASTER bakers have used some of their dough to pay for a pair of new entrance gates at a retirement complex. Bakers Villas in Waggs Street, Congleton, is home to people and their families who worked in the baking industry. Oldham and District Master Bakers
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COMPUTER FIRM ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS
CONGLETON computer company JSB Software Technologies has turned around its fortunes to produce a profit for the past 12 months. Pre-tax profits for the Riverside firm were £6,000 for the year to May, compared with a £53,000 loss for the previous 12 months
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DRUGS PROBLEM PROMPTS PUBLIC MEETING
PARENTS are being urged to attend a major public meeting being staged to alert people to the dangers of illegal drugs. Staffordshire's Chief Constable John Giffard and Congleton MP Ann Winterton are among the high profile speakers invited to next week's
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TRADERS TO GET TOUGH
CONGLETON shopkeepers are declaring war on shoplifters and vandals in a hi-tech bid to drive criminals from the town centre. High Street store managers are looking at signing up for a radio system aimed at creating no-go zones for shoplifters. Shop owners
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TONIC FOR THE TROOPS
CREWE manager Dario Gradi has welcomed the chance for extra training sessions as Alex fans face a football-free fortnight. This weekend's fixture against West Bromwich Albion has been called off through international call-ups, leaving Gradi two free weeks
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COMPOST CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF WITH BIN OFFER TO RESIDENTS
A MAJOR campaign aimed at encouraging people to compost their garden waste is being launched by the borough council. For one day only on Sunday, October 18, residents will be able to buy a compost bin at one third of the normal price. The bins, which
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TWO MEN TO FACE ASSAULT CHARGES
TWO men from Scotland have been charged in connection with an assault on a female store detective in Crewe. One man, aged 37, has been charged with theft and assault and the second man, aged 22, has been charged with theft and actual bodily harm. The
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PLEA TO PATIENTS
LEIGHTON Hospital's ambulance service has called for patients to stop wasting time as needy patients miss out on the service as a result. Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust has asked patients to cancel routine ambulance transport that has been booked for
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ROSS VS RHINO IN TV GLADATORIAL COMBAT
A BRAVE Nantwich athlete has taken on the might of the Gladiators and survived to tell the tale. Father-of-two Ross Kirby, of Audlum Road, is set to make his debut television appearance in the popular series on October 24. The 29-year-old entered the
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JURY RULES WORKER'S DEATH WAS ACCIDENTAL
A CREWE man was crushed to death under a ton load which fell from machinery operated by untrained staff, an inquest heard on Tuesday. A jury returned a verdict of accidental death of Gary Dawson, a 32-year-old window fabricator, who was working overtime
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BOROUGH MOURNS DON
HONORARY Alderman and Freeman of the borough Donald Holt JP died on Sunday aged 77. Mr Holt was first elected to the former Crewe Borough Council in 1961 and was the last mayor of the 'old' council in 1973/74. He was then the first chairman of the newly
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FIGHT TO SAVE 'IDEAL' SCHOOL
VILLAGERS are fighting to save the school they claim fits the government's primary education criteria to a tee. A roll-call of 32 pupils in the hamlet of Buerton, near Audlem, has been deemed too small to be viable by education authority chiefs seeking
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HOSPITAL BLUNDER COSTS £1.7m
A TEENAGE twin, brain damaged after being starved of oxygen during her birth at Leighton Hospital, has won £1.7million damages in London's High Court. South Cheshire Health Authority will pick up the tab after a lengthy legal battle. Amanda Ludow is 13
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NEVER MIND THE PRICE
I HATE kicking people when they are down... but are our tired, battered old railways every going to improve? I had to make a journey by North West Rail from the other side of Manchester to Liverpool a couple of days ago. The journey should have taken
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WIDNES FAIL TO GET THEIR JUST DESSERTS
Widnes 10 Middlesbrough 26 MIDDLESBROUGH travelled to Heath Road full of confidence, already having secured two comfortable victories but it was the Wids who took and early lead. After five minutes a well struck penalty by Stu Hussey made the score 3-
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WIDS KIDS ROUND-UP
New Brighton u16s 3 Widnes u16s 50 FORWARD power, with Dunn at the forefront, provided more than enough ball for the stylish backs to let rip. Stubbs (4), Webb (2), Murray and Doran clocked up the tries. There is no doubt that Orrell will provided stiffer
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Widnes Tigers 8, Bank Quay 10
TIGERS went down to their first defat of the season with only a goal-kick, the difference between them. Again, as last week, the Tigers had to reshuffle the team before the kick-off, with players work commitments causing havoc. To their credit the Tigers
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UNLUCKY FOR SIM
Simms Cross A 22 John Moores University 24 SIMMIES were unlucky to lose after leading for most of the game to a very strong Liverpool John Moores University side containing several Great Britain students. Simmies scorers were centre Ally Murphy, two tries
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HORNETS ROUND-UP
Halton Hornets u14s...30 St Helens Crusaders u14s 6 FOLLOWING last week's demolition of West Bank Bears in the NWC Cup, Hornets started the defence of their championship with a hard-fought win over an aggressive Crusaders side. Hornets started brightly
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FIRST CLASS
WIDNES Sixth Form College were runaway winners of the Golf Foundation Regional qualifier, a scratch competition which attracted 15 teams of three to Widnes Golf Club. Led by Childwall's Roger Murphy, a four-handicapper who went round the par-69 course
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BIRCHFIELD DERBY WIN
Birchfield 1st XV 30 Newton-Le-Willows 19 THIS was a hard-fought battle between two strong aggressive packs. Birchfield, led by captain Gary Billy Smith, got the upper-hand in this department creating gaps for Gary Whitfield and Peter Wood to punish the
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MULTI-MILLION FACELIFT
FURTHER development plans for the Daresbury Hotel costing £11 million pounds have been submitted to Halton Borough Council's Planning Department this week to provide further bedrooms and a new leisure club on the site. The applicant Greenalls is proposing
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ARSON PROBE
ARSON is believed to be the cause of a massive fire which wreaked havoc at Castlefields local Centre on Monday night. The culprits broke through the insecure boarding on a disused shop unit, formerly a handyman's shop, and laid a fire inside some time
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DECISIVE DEFEAT FOR THIRD PLACED CONGLETON
THIRD-PLACED Congleton went down to a decisive 24-3 defeat at second-placed Dukinfield at the weekend in a match which promised to be a close affair. Dukinfield missed a penalty after only three minutes, and Congleton took the lead in the 20th minute
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VICS BOUNCE BACK
ROCK bottom Knypersley Vics bounced back to earn an excellent point against highflying Kings Norton Town on Saturday. The 1-1 home draw was not enough to lift the Vics off the bottom, but was a much needed morale-booster after the poor run of recent results
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CUP SUCCESS FOR BEARS
CONGLETON Town kept their cup bandwagon rolling with two superb victories in the space of four days. The Bears earned a plum FA Cup tie with Hednesford after beating Boston United 1-0 at home on Saturday in the second qualifying round. They followed that
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SPUD SALE REQUEST
PLANNERS are being asked to allow baked potatoes to be sold three days a week in Congleton town centre. The people behind the baked potato stall in Victoria Street are seeking permission to open the business on Fridays between 9am and 5.45pm. The stall
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RESIDENT INJURED IN HOUSE FIRE
FOUR firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled a house fire in Scholar Green on Tuesday morning. The occupant of a house in Wavertree Avenue was taken to hospital suffering from burns to the feet after the early morning blaze. Three tenders, two
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GREEN ISSUES GO UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
BIDDULPH people can put their views on the state of the planet to environmental experts next week. A major public consultation exercise is being launched by the Moorlands District Council in response to the local Agenda 21 initiative. World leaders agreed
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POWER CUT HITS 9,000 HOMES
THOUSANDS of Biddulph families lost their electricity on Sunday morning after a major supply network went down. Some nine thousand homes from the town and Leek were affected by the power failure, losing their supplies for between two and three hours.
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INQUEST JURY FAILS TO AGREE VERDICT ON ARTIST'S DEATH
AN INQUEST into the death of a mentally ill artist from Alsager has been adjourned until December after the coroner's jury failed to reach a verdict. The parents of 28-year-old Andrew McDonald will have to re-live the four and a half hour ordeal in front
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PUB DANCE PLAN SPARKS PROTEST
ANGRY residents are up in arms about pub landlord Antony Wilson's plans to stage late-night functions. Mr Wilson runs The Lodge Inn in Crewe Road, Alsager, for which he is seeking a full annual public entertainment licence. Mr Wilson wants to stage music
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JOBS SAVED BY SALE OF HI-TECH BUSINESS
ALMOST 90 jobs have been saved with the sale of a hi-tech manufacturing operation. Electronics giant Siemens sold its Congleton switchboard manufacturing business to the Alan Taylor Group. The jobs of 88 employees hung in the balance when the company
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OLD BOYS ARE IN TOP FORM
Crewe & Nantwich - 8 St Edwards Old Boys - 21 ST Edwards Old Boys showed at Willaston last Saturday why they are firm favourites, even at this early stage of the season, to top the league and gain the single promotion place. Crewe took the battle
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INJURY TIME STRIKE STALLS DABBERS' CUP PROGRESS
NANTWICH Town looked set to qualify for the next round of the FA Cup after a goal by Dougie Dawson 20 minutes before the whistle. But Raundes Town fought back and eventually equalised on 91 minutes prompting a replay. Town boss Clive Jackson said: "We
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CREWE TAME WOLVES ATTACK
Crewe Alex - 0 Wolves - 0 DESPERATE Crewe clung on to share the points with wasteful Wolves on Saturday after surviving a torrid second half. Alex keeper Jason Kearton put in a solid performance to keep the visitors at bay as they blew a hat-full of goalmouth
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POSTAL WORKER STEVE WANTS TO MAKE A VITAL DELIVERY
A CARING Crewe postal worker is set to make a vital delivery later this month to hand a lifeline to sick children in Eastern Europe. Distribution manager Steve Parry will join a team of Royal Mail workers on a 3,000-mile trek transporting vehicles full
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GYMNASTS' TOURNAMENT TRIUMPH
TALENTED young gymnasts Rebecca Mason, left, and Hannah Wright have scooped top honours at regional competitions. The two girls both train at the Sandbach Gymnastics Centre in Bradwall Road with head coach Pete Aldous. Last month they competed against
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MILLENNIUM MOVES TO MAKE A TOP TOWN
LITTER, vandalism and more entertainment for under 18s were some of the main topics raised by visitors to a Millennium exhibition in Sandbach. The three day exhibition in the Town Hall and the Market Hall with a further display in the library was aimed
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CLOTHING FACTORY SELL-OFF WILL NOT MEAN JOB LOSSES
CLOTHING firm Austin Reed is putting its Crewe factory up for sale following a review of the manufacturing side of the business. Some 500 people work at the factory, based in Weston Road, which is the company's main manufacturing site, and the company
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DISEASED TREES FELLED
NINE lime trees alongside the town's Coronation Gardens have been felled after an investigation revealed they were suffering from a root disease. Experts were called in to investigate after a serious accident last month when a tree fell across Beam Street
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SOLICITOR FACES 12 CHARGES OF THEFT
A SOUTH Cheshire solicitor with a high community profile has been charged with theft. Robert Holmes, former senior partner in a Sandbach legal firm and an ex-tax inspector, was declared bankrupt last year with reported debts of £850,000, including £200,000
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WATCH THEFT PROMPTS £100 REWARD
A REWARD of £100 has been offered for the return of a family heirloom stolen by cruel thieves last week. Maxine Nield's silver Marquasite watch, left to her by her late grandparents, was taken a day before their ashes were due to be buried. Mother Olive
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FIRE HERO IS HAUNTED BY HORRIFIC MEMORIES
FIRE hero David Johnston has told a court how the horror of the night he braved a fire to rouse other tenants in the Crewe flats where he lived still haunts him. Knutsford Crown Court was told that Mr Johnston dashed upstairs through flames and smoke
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SCORN FOR SAUNA LAW THREAT
CAMPAIGNERS look set to lose their legal battle to save Nantwich Sauna after a council officer investigating the complaints labelled them "ridiculous." Regular users were upset at proposals to shut the facility and replace it with a fitness centre, forcing
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DJ PRIZE BID
A DETOUR to Ibiza has set a Widnes man on the road to London and potential club culture stardom, culminating in a place in a DJ-ing final to be broadcast on nationwide radio this month. Kevin McDiarmid, from Darley Close in Hough Green, has been garnering
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WIDNES WIN
Lancashire Inter-Town semi-final St Helens 22 Widnes 28 THE Widnes tackling was superb with all the team on top of their game. Widnes took the lead after a strong run from captain John Buckley stand-off Chris Smart put full-back Mark Keenan in for a try
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MIXED FORUNES FOR WIDNES PLAYERS
A MIXED week for Widnes Vikings, 1998 vintage, saw some garlanded by the supporters' club while nine others learnt that they were surplus to new coach Colin Whitfield's requirements. Following on from last week's disclosure that club captain Kyle White
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ST MARIES HOLD OUT
NW Counties u15s Premiership Widnes St Maries u15s 18 Saddleworth u15s 16 WIDNES Maries led 16-0 at half-time playing almost perfect rugby.Aggressive defence from the outstanding Paul Miller backed up with crunchers from Owen Brown and Richard Swales,
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TEN-OUT-OF-TEN FOR HAWKS
St Helens McDonalds Juvenile League U12s Cup Prelim Round Blackbrook Juniors 0 Wilmere Hawks 10 WILMERE went through to the next round at Merton Bank with a scoreline that indicates excellent finishing in front of goal, but the success of the front men
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BULLS BEATEN
Widnes Albion Bulls 10 Simms Cross 14 DESPITE having the lions share of the ball and having more attacking play, the Bulls could not score and went 0-12 down to two converted tries, but having tries by Gary Richardson and Paul Davies disallowed due to
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'HYSTERICAL' MUM JAILED
A HYSTERICAL young mother kicked a social worker's car and bent its windscreen wipers causing £300 damage, Warrington Crown Court heard on Friday. She screamed: "You have snatched my baby - I will rip your head off," the court was told. Donna Clarke,
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HOMELESS ROW
A RUNCORN family could be made homeless because housing benefit was paid to their neighbour instead of them, it was claimed this week. The unemployed parents of six children, who asked not to be named, said their landlords, Merseyside Improved Housing
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CABLE CAUSES BLAZE
A RUNCORN resident had a nasty surprise awaiting him when he returned from a night out in the early hours of Monday to find his rented flat ablaze. Runcorn Fire Brigade were called to Richard's Close to find a ground-floor flat alight at 2.20am. The flames
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CRASH DEATH MAN APPEAL REJECTED
A MAN jailed for four years after he was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, failed to have his conviction overturned and his sentence reduced last Friday. The Court of Appeal did not allow the application on behalf of Ian John Ash, 32, of
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TOP MARKS FOR CAVENDISH
CAVENDISH School in Runcorn is celebrating its latest success - attaining the national Standard of excellence, Investors in People recognition. The school caters for 65 special needs pupils within an age range of two to 19 years. Gaining Investors in
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DON'T BLAME US
HALTON Social Services has denied claims made in court that a failure to escort patients to and from a Runcorn day centre contributed to the death of a 57-year-old patient. David Humphries, of Lapwing Grove, Runcorn, died in March as a result of a fall
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CHILD CRULETY WOMAN ON TRIAL
A WOMAN visiting an injured child in hospital pressed his head into the bed and said aggressively, "It's all right", a court has heard. During the two-year-old boy's brief ordeal, Amanda Lewis-Brown's knuckles and fingernails turned white with the pressure
