FIREFIGHTERS were today still trying to clear a flooded area of Leigh. Plank Lane became heavily waterlogged on Monday during the heavy downpour and fire crews have been busy trying to pump water into the Bridgewater Canal. The canal's water level dropped
SAINTS made history when they beat Wigan in the Super League Grand Final. They were the last winners of the 20th Century and the first winners of the 21st Century and neither tide nor time will ever alter that. I have criticised Saints' board in the past
WHEN I was young, Guy Fawkes night used to mean one night of fireworks, or at the very most two. I have been sitting here at home for the past week, watching our poor dog shaking from head to tail with fear, while outside bangers and rockets are going
IN an age when young people seem to get a lot of bad publicity, I feel that it is only fair to give praise when this is due. I was invited to a concert given by Haydock Youth Brass Band in St Mark's Church, Haydock. I was promised a treat, and it was
SAINTS have appointed Irishman Mick McGurn as their new fitness conditioner, replacing Aussie Nigel Ashley-Jones who has moved to Wigan Warriors. Formerly srength and conditioning coach at Leeds Rhinos, McGurn is currently working with Ireland's Lincoln
RESULTS National Conference League Divison Two: Thatto Heath Crusaders 25 Blackbrok Bulldogs 6 Fixtures for Saturday, November 3: Lancashire Cup: Thatto Heath A v Portico Panthers, UGB v Rochdale Mayfield A. National Conference League Division Two: Blackbrook
Pilks u/12s 4 Rylands 1 THIS game was a credit to junior rugby with defences on top in a battle of two evenly-matched sides. Rylands turned around at half-time with a one-point lead and the score remained that way until five minutes from the end of the
Thatto Heath Crusaders 25 Blackbrook Bulldogs 6 THIS win for Thatto Heath over local rivals Blackbrook not only tucks them in behind Hull Dockers in second place in the National Conference League Division Two, but also establishes them as the highest-ranked
WITH two weeks to go in the St Helens Sixes League, Backfield United are champions of Division A. No one can catch them now as they go nine points ahead at the top of the table after their 4-1 win over bottom-of-the-table Orford. Rubber Soul FC are unners
A NEW Cancer Resource Store has been given a massive boost -- courtesy of Couristan Carpets. For the Eccleston Street company have donated more than £10,000 worth of carpets to the Liverpool-based store which will act as a regional headquarters. Chief
HEALTH officials in St Helens and Knowsley are urging members of the public not to be alarmed by the recall of a brand of oral polio vaccine. The Medicines Control Agency have recalled all remaining stocks of a brand of the oral polio vaccine used in
A COMMUNITY-wide project to expand learning and improve job prospects in St Helens was due to bring Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett to the town this week. He was to launch the St Helens Learning Partnership, which provides a crucial
RETIRED businessman, Gordon Crosby has contacted the Star to say a huge thank-you to everyone who donated to an appeal which has enabled a young African boy to walk for the first time. Gordon, formerly owner of Grosvenor House Menswear, and his wife Connie
FAMILIES of children who attend the Hurst and Hamblett Special Schools have been voicing their concerns about the council's plans to site a new special school next to the Scott Clinic, a regional secure unit for mental health patients. Furious grandmother
NINE members of St Helens Sutton AC made the long journey to Tyneside to compete in what must be the world's largest half-marathon, The Great North Run. This race always attracts a quality field, as well as being a mass participation event. First home
LSH Ladies 10 Lichfield 22 THE LSH ladies put up a determined show against league leaders Lichfield on Sunday in this hard-fought game. The home side dominated the first half but were unable to turn this into points and Lichfield scored first from a well-organised
ST HELENS Striders are currently going through a busy road running campaign, as their members compete in events around the country. Three members made the long journey north to Newcastle to take part in the Great North Run. Dennis Wharton, running his
LAST week's games in the Rainhill Junior League were badly hit by the weather with only five games surviving. RESULTS Under15s: Blackbrook Juniors 2 Young Gate 8. Under 13s: Rainford Rangers 0 Bleak Hill Rovers 8. Under 11s: Pilkington 8 Rainford Rangers
THE new men at the helm at Haydock Park Racecourse have set out their plans for the new jump racing season and beyond. General manager Adam Waterworth and clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright promised to build on the progress of the late 1990s when
St Helens Town 1 Salford City 1 The decimation of Saturday's NWCL programme due to widespread waterlogging meant Town's scheduled trip to Atherton Colls was put on 'hold', giving Jimmy McBride's boys more time to reflect upon the midweek draw against
A GRAND parade will herald the start of one of the most spectacular Christmas light displays to be seen in St Helens town centre. The switch-on will be held on Saturday, November 18, and will be marked by a grand procession led by Father Christmas, departing
THE developers of the new multiplex cinema, originally due to open in St Helens this month, have confirmed that a delay in construction means that it will not be open until March, 2001 at the earliest. The leisure complex is based at the bottom of Bridge
ATHERTON Colls went down to a 2-0 NWCL Division One defeat at Salford City last night. But certainly battled hard against one of the best teams in the league. The opening goal for the Salford side came on 20 minutes, when former Radcliffe Boro striker
WE would like to say a big thank-you to all the parents, children and teachers of Thatto Heath Community Primary School who worked so hard to give and bring flowers and parcels from their Harvest Festival to us all. It was such a wonderful thought and
ISN'T it about time the Good Companions Writers of St Helens ceased their bleatings about the appointment of 'Freemen'? They have made their suggestions. They have made these known to our St Helens Council. It is surely up to the members of this body,
TOWNSFOLK woke up to a windy and watery nightmare on Monday morning with chaos throughout the day after some of the heaviest rain in the area for years. Overnight St Helens was battered by storms, lashed by torrential rain and just before dawn swept by
St Helens Schools u/13s 34 Oldham 4 IN appalling conditions the under 13s once again showed magnificent handling, with three of their tries featuring up to nine players handling the ball across the field. To their credit, Oldham, didn't give up and went
Rylands u/9s 34 Portico Juniors4 THIS was a spirited team performance by Portico in windy and cold conditions. Portico's try scorer was John Arnold, man-of-the-match went to Jonathon Fairhurst, top tackler was Ryan Heyes and coaches awards went to Barry
Haydock Warriors u/16s 24 Leyland Warriors 18 ALAN Pilling was the hero of the day for Haydock. With the scores level after a tough encounter, he bulldozed his way over the line in the dying seconds to snatch victory for Haydock, Kerkhof adding the extras
Blackbrook Bulldogs u/18s 42 Barrow Island 12 BROOK sparkled under the floodlights producing an outstanding performance in the National Youth League. With Mike Ledger and Mark Gibson laying on a string of telling passes, there was no shortage of willing
ANYONE remember the penny-farthing king? The question is prompted by Janet Fenney of Crawford Street, Clock Face, who recalls that he used to ride around town on his extraordinary Victorian bike, saddled high above its giant front wheel, and with the
THERE are town drunks . . . and then, again, there are the undisputed heavy-duty champions of guzzling. In that latter category William (Yellowbird) Owen stood supreme, having clocked up more than 100 convictions for drunkenness. William, who earned his
A FAMILY history buff from Newton-le-Willows has revived a fond memory for me in mentioning her links with a remarkable old man who was the town's oldest resident. John Sankey, from Cross Lane, died in 1964 at the age of 98. And I still recall writing
A CHARMING, and rather poignant, little letter from a lady reader has encapsulated what, I fondly hope, this nostalgia page is all about. Ann Evans explains that the flashback photo (October 12) featuring the butchery team at the Co-op's old Helena House
AT first glance, and judging by its title, I thought it was a history of choral singing in St Helens. But on closer inspection, the brand-new publication, 'Voices of St Helens', is, in fact, an oral account of bygone times in the old glass borough. The
MERE mention of the golden age of ballroom dancing is enough to have countless of our more mature readers waltzing back in time. The famous West Park dance academy, the St Helens Co-op Ballroom and a cluster of parish hall local hops have all been given
Prescot RU 38 Runcorn 5 TWO long-range interception tries by full-back Tony Bullock were the highlight of an excellent Prescot performance in difficult conditions. Runcorn actually opened the scoring with an unconverted try but the home side hit back
Prescot Hockey 2 Heywood 0 PRESCOT put up a great performance to get the better of their bogey team Heywood. Mark Challinor and Peter Clucas scored the goals in a game that Prescot never looked like losing. Frustration got the better of the visitors in
THE St Helens under 15s school soccer squad produced a superb display to win 3-1 away to Burnley in the Heinz-sponsored National Trophy with two goals by Castley (Rainhill) and one by Dixon (St Augustine's). They now have a home tie against Barrow or
COUNCIL health chiefs have issued guidlines to alert people to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Every year, around 50 people die and more than 100,000 suffer illness from faulty home heating appliances which give out poisonous carbon monoxide
A JUMBO coffee break will take place in the Elephant House at Knowsley Safari Park on Thursday, November 9 to raise money for Volunteer Reading Help (VRH). The charity, which has branches nationwide, has been working in Knowsley for more than 25 years
HEALTH information is just a mouse click away for St Helens residents with the launch of a health partnership web site -- www.sthhaz.org.uk -- designed by St Helens Council's IT department. The site introduces the work of the health partnership and gives
AN Internet business offering the facility to order greetings cards, gift wrap and other stationery, including postage stamps, from the comfort of home has been launched by graduate Caroline Nixon from Billinge. The company, www.cardkingdom.co.uk, was
RESIDENTS of a Newton housing estate are furious at council proposals which could see them forced to move into long-derelict houses while their own are demolished. The council say the Wargrave estate has fallen into decline in recent years and believes
THE weather played havoc with fixtures in the St Helens McDonald's JOL at the weekend with only five games surviving. RESULTS Under 14s: Cup 1st round - Captains Lane 0 Knowsley South 5, Young Gate 8 Lane Ends Athletic 0. Under 12s: Cup 1st round - Blackbrook
Stockport 21 West Park 14 AFTER a sequence of 24 consecutive league games without defeat West Park succumbed to a Stockport side who triumphed over the conditions just as much as their opponents. Playing with the elements in their favour in the first
Stourbridge 26 Liverpool St Helens 19 LSH came off second best in a thrilling encounter at Stourbridge on Saturday. Kicking off with a gale force wind and driving rain at their backs, LSH got off to a dream start being awarded a penalty try in the first
St Helens Combination: Most important casualty of the week's atrocious weather was the Lancashire FA under-18s Inter League tie against Bolton Boys Federation. Initially due to be played at Billinge FC, it was switched to a much-improved Bobbies Lane
A RECYCLING company have been rewarded by the environmental charity, Groundwork St Helens, for their commitment to health and safety within the workplace. Earlestown-based AKM, a division of Safic Alcan UK Limited, were given an 'environmental healthcheck
A TOTAL of 2,000 council tenants across St Helens are being given the chance to have their say in a Tenants' Satisfaction Survey. They are being asked to take part in a postal survey which will monitor their views on value for money and quality housing
SIGNED Manchester United and England football shirts are among soccer memorabilia up for grabs at a charity auction being held at Saints' ground in aid of Willowbrook Hospice. The auction is just one of the events being held during the charity evening
PUPILS at Sutton Oak CE Primary School experienced some 'Hard Times' when they went back through time to learn what school was like during the reign of Queen Victoria. Year Three and Four children swapped their school uniforms and computers for Victorian
A FUND-raising concert, held in memory of a man who died after being stabbed on holiday, has proved a big success. Twenty-year-old Gareth Mather from Newton-le-Willows was attacked just hours after arriving in Barcelona in July. And 22-year-old Collette
HEALTH services in St Helens and Knowsley have praised a local firm for helping to keep doctors on the road during the recent fuel crisis. Family firm Caldo Garages reserved their fuel supplies for family doctors to ensure they could continue to get to
ORGANISERS of a charity band night to be held in December are inviting local bands interested in performing their work to get in touch. Ray Moulsdale, bassist with four-piece local band, Screw In The Rock, is organising the event at the Sidac Social Club
AGE Check, an innovative scheme to stamp out the sales of products including cigarettes and solvents to under-age children, was launched at Saints on Wednesday, November 1. The proof of age project involves Trading Standards officers from St Helens, Knowsley
