Archive
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Soccer: Rovers' Great display
Village side Wakering have good reason to be ending the year 2000 in contented frame of mind. Last may, at the end of their first term as a Ryman League club, they confirmed promotion from the Third Division and, as the year 2001 beckons, they show every
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Colchester: Newborn get festive VIP visit
Babies receiving special care at Colchester General Hospital had a festive visit from the town's mayor. Christopher Garnett and his wife Anne stopped off at the hospital's special care unit to chat to staff and meet parents and babies. It was just one
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Rayne: Couple tell of miracle escape
A couple had a miraculous escape after a car smashed into their house after landing on the garage roof. Dennis and Brenda Ryan, of Dunmow Road, Rayne, near Braintree, were in their house when a Ford Escort left the road and landed on their garage. The
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Rugby: Brentwood's easy derby victory
Brentwood entertained their old rivals on a raw afternoon but with conditions ideally suited to an open game of rugby. Following last season's league reorganisation Romford & Gidea Park are now midway in London N2 while Brentwood are midway in London
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Karate round-up: Students make the grade...
Hadleigh-based Westwood Karate Club enjoyed a successful competition at Bournemouth, collecting nine gold medals from the 12 events. Some of the most pleasing results came from the club's younger contingent who had never competed outside the club's dojo
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Swimming: Adam's the apple of Canvey's eye
Canvey Island Swimming Club's Adam Puddick is now targeting next year's World Deaf Games in Rome after another top medal haul in Poland. Adam, 16, who lives in Wickford, returned from eastern Europe with a gold, a silver and two bronzes from his 400m
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Little Oakley: Widower found dead in flat
A widower was found dead on the floor of his flat on Christmas Day. Police cordoned off the Little Oakley home of 56-year-old John Pope and forensic scientists were called in after his body was discovered at about 10.30pm. Officers were initially treating
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Colchester: Early twins are special Christmas present
Twins Molly and Ellen Williamson certainly made this a Christmas to remember for their mum and dad. The babies, who were due mid-January, were the first to arrive at Colchester General Hospital on Christmas Day. Now parents Katy, 27, and Guy, 30, hope
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Running: 'We're only here for the Pier!'
While much of Britain snoozed away Boxing Day morning as part of their recovery from the festivities, 51 brave souls from Southend Athletic Club battled Arctic conditions. They were taking part in the 48th annual Southend Pier handicap race where an icy
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Canvey: Back to square one for TV quiz show winner
A mum-of-four who won £32,000 on a hit quiz show has revealed how her family's two-year life of luxury has finally come to an end. Fiona Wheeler, 35, a housewife from Canvey, won the money on the ITV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in January 1999.
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Brentwood: New Year cab warning
New Year party-goers in Brentwood have been warned against using rogue minicabs. Taxi chiefs are encouraging revellers to stick to licensed black cabs or well-known private hire operators. In addition, London Buses, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Tramlink
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Sailing: A sad end to a fine series
Crouch Yacht Club's Nutcracker Trophy, the final series of the year, fizzled out like a damp squib last Sunday, it being a victim of the calm weather. What breeze there was at the start fell away totally long before the end and of the 18 starters only
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Essex: Snow brings roads to grinding halt
Motorists faced a slow treacherous journey to work today (Thursday) as blizzard conditions and sheet ice brought chaos to roads across Essex. Essex Police issued an early morning warning to drivers setting out for work as the big freeze and the first
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Soccer round-up: Colchester crushed by leaders...
Colchester United's hopes of upsetting the odds against league leaders Millwall were dashed by a 6-1 Boxing Day drubbing. Even the Essex side's lone score was an own goal courtesy of Millwall, and Colchester could only watch as the class act of Division
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Soccer: Amos Cup postponed
The Ke-Connect Colchester League's traditional Boxing Day Amos Cup final, this year due to be contested by Eight Ash Green and University, was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch at Stanway Rovers' New Farm Road ground. Converted for the new archive
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Soccer: Billericay out for revenge
This Saturday (December 30), Billericay Town are at home to Carshalton Athletic in a Ryman League fixture, kick off 3pm. On Monday, January 1, Town put on their much re-arranged Essex Senior Cup tie against Hullbridge Sports with a 2pm New Lodge kick
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Cross country: Striders turn in an excellent result
A team of 13 male runners from Billericay Striders, well supported by other club members, joined a total field of 180 competitors for the Essex AAA Veteran Cross Country Championships 2000 in Hylands Park. A muddy and undulating five mile course set out
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Pitsea: Disabled woman's ordeal
Cruel thieves stole a disabled woman's pension money and winter fuel vouchers as she shopped in her wheelchair. Maureen Osbourne, 63, was horrified when she and her husband David, 67, returned home to find £300 and other treasured items had been stolen
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Southend: Vital sea wall work put back
Council leaders denied that hundreds of residents have been left in the dark over vital repairs to sea defences in Southend. Work to renew the section of sea wall between Southend Pier and Thorpe Hall Avenue was due to begin last month under a timescale
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Essex: More speed cameras launch new crackdown
Speeding motorists face a New Year crackdown as more than 50 new speed cameras are installed on roads across the country. Many new areas across Essex are being targetted with both fixed and mobile cameras under the second phase of a pilot project designed
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Soccer: Armada still ship-shape
Armada Sports have sailed through to the area semi-finals of the Essex Junior Trophy. The Bukta Southend District League side took on Hadleigh Carport Southend Borough Combination team White Ensign 2nd in the fourth round at Eastwoodbury Lane and pulled
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Soccer round-up: Essex Senior League
The big three of the Schweppes Essex Senior League gave themselves plenty of Christmas cheer by pulling off good wins on Saturday. While top dogs Brentwood triumphed 1-0 at fourth-placed East Ham, closest rivals Basildon United had a 3-1 success at bottom
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Essex: 'Bungling to blame' for MS delay
An Essex multiple sclerosis expert today questioned a ruling which is delaying availability of a new drug. The Government body which assesses new medicines, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), said it would not rule on controversial
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Essex: Police recruitment drive success
Essex Police's flagging ranks have been swelled by a £7 million advertising campaign, according to figures released by the Home Office today (Thursday). The national campaign to boost police numbers has generated nearly 15,000 responses from interested
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Stanford-le-Hope: Tattoo dad fixes it for twins
Toolfitter Glenn Mayell's two-year-old twins Ben and Toby are mad about Bob the Builder - the chirpy cartoon character who topped the music charts at Christmas. So Glenn has had the character tattooed on his shoulder along with the names of the twins.
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North Essex: Cashier fights off three robbers
A brave cashier is recovering after fighting off three robbers who tried to snatch the day's takings. The men struck at three separate garages in Essex and Suffolk last night (Wednesday). They first went to the Jet service station in East Hill, Eastgates
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Essex: Winter weather is snow joke...
Snow and black ice have caused treacherous driving conditions and widespread road closures across Essex. Below is a round-up of how the county has fared in the inclement weather... Snow-go - drivers had to endure icy conditions on the A127 Picture: STEVE
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Thurrock: Gunman holds up salesman on test drive
A gunman stole a luxury car after pulling a gun on a salesman during a test drive. A big police hunt was launched to find the armed thief who got away with a £30,000 Mercedes. The hold-up happened shortly after the two men had left Lancaster Mercedes-Benz
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Basildon: Fire couple are saved by alarm
An elderly couple had a lucky escape when they managed to flee their blazing home uninjured after they were alerted to the flames by their smoke alarms. The husband had accidentally turned on the chip pan when he thought he was turning it off and then
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Pitsea: Hunt for knife raiders
Two raiders threatened a female cashier with a knife before making off with £300 in cash from a Pitsea convenience store. The men, one of Asian appearance and the other black, went into Budgens Express in the High Road and demanded the woman hand over
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North Essex: Flu jab requests beat expectations
Demand for flu jabs in north Essex has beaten the Government target to try and prevent a major outbreak of flu. The uptake for the jab has exceeded the November target of 60 per cent by nearly two per cent. The Government had reduced the age group to
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Soccer: Lua Lua shock set us back
Steve Whitton takes his Colchester United squad into the second half of the season with the admission it has taken them longer to recover from the sale of Lomana Tresor Lua Lua than he had hoped. "Lomana's transfer was a massive blow to us all," said
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Soccer: Webb wants to reward Maher
Southend United manager David Webb has revealed that he wants to reward Shrimpers midfielder Kevin Maher with a brand new contract. The 24-year-old has been outstanding for Blues this season in the centre of the park and Webb indicated that he sees the
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Soccer: Howard's Say...
Whistle-happy referee ruined big day Seldom have I ever seen a referee wreck a game the way Graham Barber did at Roots Hall yesterday. He awarded an incredible 52 free-kicks and booked seven players in a match which was naturally robust for a local derby
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Chelmsford: Womans knife terror ordeal
A woman was subjected to a terrifying ordeal when her former boyfriend wrecked her Chelmsford flat. Adrian Bliss, 33, had a kitchen knife and, when Lucy King tried to prevent him harming himself, she ended up in hospital for stitches to head and body
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Athletics: Run for children
East Anglia's Children's Hospices is looking for competitors in next year's London Marathon to run in aid of the charity. EACH, which runs children's hospices in Milton, Quidenham and Ipswich, aims to maximise the quality of life for terminally ill children
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North Essex: Meningitis baby's parents tell of heartbreak
The parents of a baby who died of meningitis just three hours after falling ill have warned of the speed at which the illness strikes. Sarah Redman, aged 14 months, died from meningococcal septicaemia on December 20 after her parents rushed her to Colchester
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Clacton: Boy robbed at sword-point
A teenager was robbed at sword-point by a gang at the side of the road. The 15-year-old, who was selling goods, was on his own on the outskirts of Clacton. A Volvo car pulled up with four people inside and one of the men jumped out and threatened the
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Chelmsford: Appeal to find assault victim
Police are appealing for a man who was injured in a street assault on Christmas Day to come forward. A man looked like he had been knocked out in a public order incident in Dukes Street, Chelmsford, caught on CCTV. Before police arrived on the scene at
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Cross country: Man triumphs over machine
Given the choice of going by cycle or on foot for a five-mile race, most people would bag the bike every time. But add a few hazards like fences and trees - and an awful lot of mud - and it's a different story. Every Boxing Day man does battle against
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Braintree: Rumours of school closure denied
Essex education chiefs have confirmed a problem-plagued school in Braintree is top of their hit list for the New Year. But they are remaining tight-lipped about the long-term future of Chapel Hill School. Chapel Hill has no permanent headteacher, there
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Essex: Surf the web for an insight into our past
An exciting new internet project is offering a 24-hour window on the past using images and information from a unique selection of Essex museum treasures. Web surfers can now view highlights from museum collections across the county. These include a glove
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Hockey: After 26 seasons, Tracy calls it a day...
Gary Stubbings meets Tracy Goodchild who has recently retired from playing for Chelmsford Hockey Club after 26 years. Chelmsford Hockey Club's Tracy Goodchild has decided to retire from the game after a career that has spanned 26 years with the club.
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Swimming: Bathers show ice-cold courage
Courage beyond doubt! Despite biting winds and freezing temperatures, members and friends of Clacton Swimming Club gathered on the West Beach on Christmas Day morning to make their mad dash into the water. There were one or two of the regular faces who
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Soccer: Abbey habit keeps Shrimpers smiling
Ben Abbey kick-started Southend United's festive celebrations early as he continued his amazing scoring streak at a bitterly cold Shrewsbury Town on Friday night. The Shrimpers striker headed home the decisive goal 13 minutes from the end of this Third
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Darts: Lloyd aims to show some bite
Colin "Jaws" Lloyd will get his teeth stuck into the Skol World Darts Championships which start at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet today (Thursday). Lloyd, who is a familiar face in Colchester darts and lives at Witham, will line up alongside the biggest
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Battram goal keeps Blues at the helm
A second half goal from Paul Battram gave Blues a well-deserved win at Barking on Saturday, keeping them top of the Essex Senior League table. East Ham had started the match just three points behind Brentwood with two games in hand so this was an important
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Soccer: Maldon dreaming of cash windfall
Jewson League soccer club Maldon Town could be in line for a huge New Year cash windfall courtesy of former striker Neil Harris. Harris, 23, graced Maldon's Park Drive ground before moving to Dr Martens outfit Cambridge City. He then made a lucrative
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Soccer round-up: Mid-Essex Football League
ESSEX JUNIOR TROPHY FOURTH ROUND Old Brentwoods beat visitors Springfield Rouge 5-3. Rouge took the lead but by half-time the home team had scored twice to take the lead. They extended their advvantage with a third goal before Rouge hit back to level
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Golf: Proprietor wins the top prize
The first prize in the Forrester Park Golf Club's annual Christmas draw was a magnificent hamper and it was won by the proprietor Tim Forrester-Muir. The carol singing was led by the Little Totham church choir. During the evening a cheque for £2,300 was
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Essex: Schools face four-day week
Schools in Essex may have to adopt a four-day working week because of a deepening staff-recruitment crisis. Paul Lincoln, Essex County Council director of education, has written to Education Secretary David Blunkett to make him aware of the dire shortage
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Ongar: Controversial biker pub under threat
A bikers' pub often involved in controversy could be set to close early next year after the landlords submitted planning applications for a change to residential use. George and Carole Scott, who took over the White Bear in Stanford Rivers, near Ongar
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Soccer: Rovers up the tempo after Heffer red card
The village side bounced back from having skipper John Heffer sent off after what they considered to be a clear case of mistaken identity to earn a point in an entertaining clash with one of the Ryman League Second Division pacesetters. Heffer, booked
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Soccer: Spencer's late strike gives Billericay draw
For the third successive Ryman League Premier Division game Billericay Town struck in injury-time to gain some reward. Previously, Gary Calder's men have scored late at Maidenhead United and against Canvey Island at home to gain all three points on offer
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Colchester: Cash snatch from shop
Police are hunting a thief who snatched cash from a shop till. The man struck at the Colchester and East Essex Co-op in Nayland Road, Mile End, Colchester. Det Sgt Roger Napier, of Colchester police, said: "He entered the shop and asked for some cigarettes
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Braintree: Cycleway to be completed after 10 years
A cycleway is to be constructed between Springwood Drive and Panfield Lane, Braintree, completing the route that was started 10 years ago. In 1990, a three-metre asphalt path was constructed along part of the route, but the remaining 70 metres was not
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South Essex: Tills ring merrily as sales fever sets in
Even the freezing weather with its plummeting temperatures did not deter the seasonal bargain hunters. With the festive gift giving past and the turkey just a heap of bones, the shops beckoned - and many responded with enthusiasm. They started queuing
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Soccer: Conlon pleased with Oxford win
Man-of-the-match Barry Conlon enjoyed his best game yet in Colchester colours against Oxford, scoring one of the goals, having a big hand in the other two and twice hitting the crossbar into the bargain. The big Irish target man said: "I really enjoyed
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Southend: No answer over Bleach release call
Foreign Office officials have dismissed reports that jailed arms dealer Peter Bleach, formerly a prominent Conservative campaigner in Southend, is on the verge of being released from prison in India. They said they were still waiting for an official response
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Maldon: Passions run high at hunt
Hundreds of people - both for and against - gathered to mark what could be the last ever Boxing Day hunt in Maldon. MPs will have a free vote with three choices in the new year: an outright ban on hunting with dogs; a licencing scheme; no change. One
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North Essex: Fresh lead in hunt for axe attacker
A team of detectives investigating a triple axe attack in north Essex have received new information in their bid to track down those responsible. Following further interviews with the victims they have now discovered that all three incidents occurred
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Basildon: Hit-and-run appeal renewed
The hunt for a driver whose car hit and killed a devoted wife and mother is to be renewed nearly three years to day after her death. Tina Thorne, 38, died after the accident on New Year's Day in 1998. She was walking with her husband along Basildon's
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Essex: Snow causes road chaos
Snow and black ice have caused treacherous driving conditions and widespread road closures across Essex. The whole of the county has suffered but south Essex appears to have been worst hit this morning (Thursday). Cars spun and skidded into crash barriers
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South Essex: Shoppers pack in for Lakeside sales
After two days of being cooped up with the relatives, thousands of stressed families found a welcome release in Lakeside shops. The centre, which many hopeful Boxing Day bargain hunters had found frustratingly closed, was a magnet for all those seeking
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Colchester: Lessons to be learned from new road layout
Lessons learned from drivers' reactions to the Middleborough roundabout scheme in Colchester will be used in a bid to make sure residents get the message about future projects. Members of Colchester Council will hear how the scheme has been received since
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North Essex: Bargain hunters flock to sales
The pressures of Christmas shopping did not put off bargain hunters in Colchester, who flocked back for the sales. Most of the main stores in the town began their post Christmas sales yesterday (Wednesday), avoiding the temptation to cash in by opening
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Soccer: Romford faces battle for survival
Homeless Romford Football Club could be facing a make-or-break battle to secure its existence. For the past few weeks the club been suspended from Division One of the Ryman League following its failure to satisfy league requirements over its arrangements
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Witham: Couple back from war zone
A couple who have been caught up in the conflict in the Holy Land are back at home with their family. Colin and Kathy South have returned to Essex for the first time since they found themselves caught up in the Middle East troubles in October. Even at
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Rayleigh: Driver escapes unhurt in central barrier crash
A driver quite literally went off the rails after her car mounted the central reservation and came to a halt straddling the barrier. The accident happened yesterday morning when the woman's Nissan Bluebird careered from the road and hit the central reservation
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Colchester: Rare guitar sold to avid collector
A rare guitar has found its way to Colchester where it has been snapped up by an avid collector. The instrument was created by world-renowned guitar designer Paul Reed Smith, who is based in America, and is one of just 50 in the world. Only two were allocated
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Soccer: D'Urso receives UEFA call-up
Top-flight Billericay referee Andy D'Urso has received a tremendous early Christmas present after a call from European football's governing body, UEFA. The 36 year-old, who lives in Crays Hill, has been refereeing at the highest level in England for the
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Soccer: North Essex round-up...
Jimmy Clewley celebrated his arrival at Clacton Town with two goals in the Seasiders' 2-2 derby draw with Harwich and Parkeston. The former Wivenhoe Town striker, expected to sign a two-year deal later this week, curled home a shot from the edge of the
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Soccer: U's have so much to do
Whitton: 'There's a gulf between us and the top teams' Colchester United still have a lot of hard work to do if they nurture any dreams of flirting with the Nationwide League Second Division's promotion race. That was the view of U's manager Steve Whitton
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Essex: Deck the bins with boughs of holly...
Essex residents are being encouraged to dream of a green New Year by the county council, which has set up special recycling bins for cards and wrapping paper at County Hall in Chelmsford. According to county waste reduction officer Nicola Beach, following
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Clacton: Lifeboatmen ready for Mozambique SOS
Two lifeboatmen from Clacton are ready to answer an emergency call in Africa. Pete Richards and Robert Bradbrook have been selected for the RNLI's rapid response unit, which is on standby round the clock to help with flood relief work. Mr Richards, 34
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Thurrock, Brentwood: Crime victims offered seasonal helpline
Victims of crime should not suffer in silence this New Year but can call the Victim Support line for practical advice and emotional support. Thurrock and Brentwood Victim Support, which has an office in Seven Arches Road, helps people cope with crime
