Archive

  • Marcus is guest of honour at Wingates opening ceremony

    THE last member of the founding family to be connected with the Evening News was guest-of-honour, Marcus Tillotson at the new press opening ceremony. Marcus, now aged 86, is the grandson of William F Tillotson, who started the paper in 1867. The paper

  • Wanderers could pay heavy price for TV blackout

    A PROLONGED players' strike could cost Wanderers millions in television revenue. Wanderers players past and present give their views on the strike HERE As the war of words hotted up today in the dispute between the Professional Footballers' Association

  • Garage set on fire

    A DISUSED garage was damaged by fire in Farnworth yesterday. Youths are believed to have been responsible for setting light to the garage in Peel Street at 1.30am. The fire crew had to remove the roof of the timber garage before they could extinguish

  • Garage set on fire

    A DISUSED garage was damaged by fire in Farnworth yesterday. Youths are believed to have been responsible for setting light to the garage in Peel Street at 1.30am. The fire crew had to remove the roof of the timber garage to extinguish the blaze.

  • Sam after keeper number 5!

    SAM Allardyce is still running the rule over goalkeeping prospects, despite already having four on his books. The Wanderers' boss, who last week added the Finland international Jani Viander to his squad on a three-month loan from HJK Helsinki, has taken

  • Follow glory trail

    BOLTON youngsters are being given the chance to follow in the footsteps of one of the town's most famous Olympians. The John Needham Memorial Trust are offering grants to help ambitious youngsters who want to undertake projects to fulfil their intellectual

  • High Noon clash with Leeds

    TRADITION has played a big part in prompting Wanderers to set up a high noon clash with Leeds United on Boxing Day. After discussions with police and consultation with Elland Road officials, the festive Roses battle will kick off at 12 rather than 3pm

  • Taken for granted

    GRANTS totalling up to £9,000 have been donated to nine local community groups in the Burnden and Tonge areas. The funding has been provided by the Single Regeneration Budget Partnership which is seeking to improve the quality of life for the community

  • Widow touched by Sam's kindness

    A WIDOW has been touched by the kindness of Sam Allardyce after her husband died recently of cancer. The Bolton Wanderers manager spent time chatting to 66-year-old Derek Parker before the big match at Old Trafford in October. And when Sam heard the Whites

  • Butcher gets a taste for success

    BUTCHER Greg Hull has proved his pies really are upper crust when they were hailed the best in the North-west. At least that was the opinion of judges at a top competition where Mr Hull, aged 41, who runs Frasers Butchers in Bolton, got more than a slice

  • Greg gets a taste for success

    BUTCHER Greg Hull has proved his pies really are upper crust when they were hailed the best in the North-west. At least that was the opinion of judges at a top competition where Mr Hull, aged 41, who runs Frasers Butchers in Bolton, got more than a slice

  • Drugs trial jury played 'board meeting' recordings

    THE jury in a trial involving five men who allegedly ran a multi-million pound Bolton drugs ring were played enhanced tape recordings of the gang's "board meetings". Audio expert Dr Peter French used the latest technology to improve the quality of the

  • Honours even at the double

    A DRAW is a rare result in rounders, at least it was until referee Brian Barton took charge of matches in this season's John Smith's Farnworth Winter League. After never experiencing a draw in his life, Brian refereed a drawn match last week then another

  • Mark's title hope

    MARK Payne of Belmont is hoping to be fighting in a British title eliminator in his next outing in Coventry on December 19. Mark, aged 25, has won 13 fights and lost just one in his professional career and is currently ranked fifth in the British super

  • Police search river in Carly murder probe

    UNDERWATER search teams waded through the River Tonge in Bolton as part of the investigation into the murder of teenager Carly Bateman. The three-hour operation was carried out as part of the search to find the 17-year-old's clothes. The prostitute's

  • Public will be split over strike - Deano

    DEAN Holdsworth is confident the players will be united but expects the public to be split over the PFA strike threat. Speaking last month, Holdsworth, the Wanderers' union representative, insisted: "I hope there will be a resolution but if it happens

  • Burnden legend backs PFA strike

    GORDON Taylor received a boost from a Wanderers legend as he prepared to lead England's footballers in a strike over TV money. Tommy Banks, the abrasive former Bolton and England defender, stepped into the cotroversy with a determination that revived

  • A new £17m Press - and a brief history of the BEN

    TRIBUTES were paid to "great" local papers when the chairman of one of the UK's top newspaper groups opened a new £17 million printing centre at Wingates, Westhoughton writes Alan Calvert, Industrial Editor, acalvert@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk. Newsquest

  • Riders on boards

    A BUSY two days saw the Clarion, at the Velodrome for their monthly session of two hours then three sections out on Sunday. The booking of the Velodrome for two hours exclusive Clarion use was again a successful occasion with riders of all abilities taking

  • Proud of the pupils we helped mould

    THE future of a Bolton community is in good hands according to a high school head as he waved goodbye to an outstanding set of school leavers. Harper Green headteacher Peter Jefferies certainly had plenty to be proud of this year. Harper Green School's

  • Massive demand for Games tickets

    SOLD out signs will be plastered outside Bolton Arena next summer due to an astonishingly high demand for Commonwealth Games tickets. So far both badminton finals -- team and individual -- have been oversubscribed as eager sports fans clamber for a piece

  • Yentob's digital TV revolution

    OVER the next 10 years the Government wants every household in the country to be watching all its television digitally. According to Alan Yentob, the BBC's director of drama, entertainment and children's TV, this will provide each viewer with what can

  • Old boy could be set for Gigg return

    ANDY Preece has confirmed that he is keeping tabs on former Gigg favourite Colin Cramb. The striker was a huge success when he spent three months on loan at Bury from Crewe Alexandra last season, finishing the campaign as the team's leading scorer. Cramb

  • Brown's hat-trick lifts Courts

    Leigh and District League A DAVID Brown hat-trick, a Stuart Pickup strike and Chris Stanley own goal gave Courts a 5-0 home win over Three Crowns B. That was enough to put them on top of Division Two and two points clear of the chasing pack. They were

  • RMI boss cheered by cash

    LEIGH RMI boss Steve Waywell is preparing for Saturday's clash with Conference pacesetters Boston with his spirits lifted. The immediate threat of his players facing a wages cut has been eased by the announcement of a £50,000 bank loan, while three key

  • Premier Fives: Three Nations out on top

    IT was a close encounter of the Fourth Division kind when top played bottom on Monday. The pressure was really beginning to show on the teams at the business end of the league, with top side Peel Villa already having been beaten by Manchester Wanderers

  • Bolton SundaySponsored by Concord Conservatory Roofs

    Griffin boosted by away win GRIFFIN celebrated a 4-1 away Division One win at New Edition with goals from Simon Robinson (2), Stewart Dixon and Mark Callow, Neil getting the reply. Church Inn won 3-0 at Windowplas while in Division Two Tonge United, boosted

  • Sam's new blast at Barry Knight

    SAM Allardyce opened old wounds today when he claimed top flight referee Barry Knight cost him two of his most treasured young talents. The Reebok boss, who launched a scathing attack on the Orpington official for his handling of the play-off semi-final

  • A Knight to remember: The Ipswich view

    STEVE Mellen East Anglian Daily Times Sports Editor, and an unashamed Ipswich fan, gives a different version of events Bolton may curse but it was a magical night for us FOR the neutral it was a superb exhibition of breathless, non-stop attacking football

  • Children wanted for Carousel

    FARNWORTH Performing Arts Company presents Rogers & Hammerstein's musical Carousel at the Albert Halls, Bolton, for one week from April 15, 2002, with a matinee on Saturday. However, the show requires 14 children between the ages of six and 15 and

  • Christmas classic from Little ones

    DICKENS' classic Christmas tale is being brought to life by a host of local talent at Bolton Little Theatre. Sandra Simpson has not only adapted the story, but is also directing it, incorporating dozens of youngsters to the BLT cast. These include youngsters

  • Firsts turn on the style

    Bolton 1st 4 Knutsford 1st 0 A TRIP that has proved tricky in recent seasons was overcome with a degree of panache, as Bolton ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. Lining up with Mathieson in midfield added some solidity at the expense of flair, but did not

  • We needed USA in WW2

    MR Woods is not a good historian. He stated that we would have won the war without the Americans. Total rubbish. Remember Dunkirk totally incapable of defending ourselves let alone Europe. If Hitler had attacked us instead of Russia we would have been

  • THE BEN SAYS: It's a sickness in our society

    THERE is surely something desperately wrong with society when security guards have to be recruited to protect a health centre. Bolton Community Healthcare Trust bosses have given the go-ahead this week for security guards to be brought into the Avondale

  • Lawlessness is scourge of our civilised world

    A SOLICITOR once said to me that without his profession, the world would be one big graveyard. I always believed that it was anyway, either in spite of solicitors or possibly even because of some. In a "civilised" country, for example, our Prime Minister

  • Hospital staff are so dedicated

    IT is with dismay that I, and indeed many more in Bolton and Wigan, learn from some statistical organisation that our chances of living are one in three when suffering from bowel cancer. Instead of the disturbance this news generates, perhaps it would

  • Health centre doctors under siege

    SECURITY guards have been recruited to protect staff from a gang of vandals at a crime-plagued Bolton health centre -- some aged as young as seven. The guards were drafted in after nurses, doctors and employees suffered a barrage of abuse from youths

  • Widow touched by Sam's kindness

    A WIDOW has been touched by the kindness of Sam Allardyce after her husband died recently of cancer. The Bolton Wanderers manager spent time chatting to 66-year-old Derek Parker before the big match at Old Trafford in October. And when Sam heard the Whites

  • Cream of the local crop join together for fund-raiser

    PERFORMERS from Bolton's amateur theatre community came together under the spotlight to promote a scheme close to their hearts. The Amateur Theatre Festival took place at the Victoria Hall on Saturday night and featured a wealth of local talent. Its aim

  • Ambulance crew was wonderful

    I WOULD like to thank the ambulance crew for their quick response when called out to my address on the morning of Saturday, November 3, and the treatment they gave me before getting me to the hospital. Also, I would like to thank all doctors and nurses

  • Top brass

    A SHORT while ago, the Mayoress and I were invited to attend the Music for Youth Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall where Smithills School Band were taking part in the concert. The band played magnificently, as always. I would like, through your pages

  • THE BEN SAYS: Big-hearted Sam

    A SIMPLE touch of kindness from Bolton Wanderers' manager, Sam Allardyce, shows the man is not only big in stature, but also in heart. The Premiership manager may well be flying high, but he still took time out to act when he heard about the death of

  • Seeing red over poppy box thefts

    I WOULD like to bring to the attention of the Farnworth public, the following list, all of which have one thing in common - they have all had their poppy collection boxes stolen from their premises by some despicable young person/s. Perhaps one day their

  • High cost of town title

    RECENT letters criticising the council tax rises rather understated the problem many people face. The tax rises have consistently exceeded rates of inflation although many of us have our income limited to the rate yearly. My own pension from Bolton was

  • War will not end terrorism

    HAVING read the war-mongering, posturing and general diatribe from our politicians of ALL persuasions, may I put a personal and contentious point of view. It is not anti-U SA, just the facts as I see them. Yes this 'war' is necessary, but it would not

  • A regrettable way to maintain freedom

    MR Pittock (BEN November 13) appears to assert that anyone who is not against the war in Afghanistan is enthusiastically for it. I do not believe that any right-minded person relishes war, but accepts that to establish and maintain the freedom we enjoy

  • Mother, 47, dies in crash

    A WOMAN died after suffering serious injuries as she crossed a Bolton road today. The 47-year-old pedestrian was crossing Crompton Way, near its junction with Firwood Grove, at 6.30am when she was involved in an accident with a car. Eye witnesses ran

  • Police search river in Carly murder probe

    UNDERWATER search teams waded through the River Tonge in Bolton as part of the investigation into the murder of teenager Carly Bateman. The three-hour operation yesterday afternoon was carried out as part of the search to find the 17-year-old's clothes

  • It's not about greed

    THE BEN's Neil Bonnar explains why strike action will not be about greed, but concern for their less fortunate colleagues When millionaire players stick with colleagues on £100 a week FORGET the notion that this is all about soccer's millionaire players

  • PFA strike: It's not about greed

    THE BEN's Neil Bonnar explains why strike action will not be about greed, but concern for their less fortunate colleagues For the rest of this report, plus views of Wanderers past and present click HERE

  • Another season for Gudni?

    GUDNI Bergsson has hinted that he could postpone his retirement for a third time next summer. The Wanderers' skipper has shelved plans to quit the game in successive summers, each time insisting that his next season would be his last. A qualified lawyer

  • Ex-councillor's call to legalise prostitution

    CALLS for the prostitution to be legalised or for the police to turn a blind eye to it in toleration zones are getting louder as the town reflects on the tragic murder of teenage vice-girl Carly Bateman. For one of the world's oldest "professions", there

  • Musical youths get into the spirit

    YOUNGSTERS performing with Bolton Music Service ensembles have a hectic schedule ahead of them. The town's musical youth is getting in the festive spirit in the run up to Christmas. The programme begins on Monday, December 3, with the Mayor's Charity

  • Deano gets runout for Reserves

    DEAN Holdsworth is one of a number of senior players pencilled in for an outing in the reserves who play Middlesbrough at the Reebok tonight (ko 7pm).

  • Swedish trialist moves on

    OLA Tidamen, the Swedish goalkeeper who played for Wanderers in a private friendly at Burnley yesterday, is now having trials with Wolves. The Bolton Xl, featuring trialists, won the game 3-1.

  • Reserves at the Reebok tonight

    WANDERERS Reserves will field a mix of senior squad players and youngsters in tonight's reserve team game against Middlesbrough at the Reebok (ko 7pm).

  • Calling all pixies

    THE Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is in desperate need of pixies and elves following news its Santa Specials are already 90 per cent full. The firm needs people to help entertain the influx of visitors and are looking for people to dress up and help

  • Chairman stays on

    THE serving chairman of the Bolton Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Mr Ray Makin, has been officially appointed to hand over power of grassroots health in spring 2002. He has been re-appointed chairman in the stop gap when the newly-formed Bolton Primary

  • Warhurst ban: He'll miss Spurs clash

    PAUL Warhurst will miss Wanderers' Sky TV game at Spurs on December 3 after picking up his fifth booking in the win at Ipswich. The resulting one match ban could have been worse had referee Steve Bennett not taken a lenient view of Warhurst's kick at

  • Good response over murdered PC appeal

    DETECTIVES in London are continuing to look through information passed on to them following a television appeal into the death of a Bolton policeman. A team at Scotland Yard received more than 40 calls after a reconstruction into the murder eight years

  • Public invited to fall under CATS Godspell

    ONE of Bolton's fastest-growing theatre companies presents its next production until Saturday. CATS is an independent Youth Theatre Society and is a member of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, Bolton Amateur Theatre Societies and Greater

  • TUC meeting

    AN open meeting to discuss council house problems and repairs will be held at the Socialist Club on Wood Street in Bolton town centre tonight. The meeting has been organised by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) which is helping families in Bolton waiting

  • N-west gloom at the double

    TWO new reports paint a gloomy picture of business life in the North-west. Economic analysts Business Strategies say the region could be hit by recession next year. Even if this worst-case scenario does not develop, the most optimistic forecast suggests

  • Bury mascot sent off for THIRD time this season

    BURY FC soccer mascot Robbie the Bobby was given the red card again last night -- for being "stupid." The policeman mascot was dismissed -- for the third time this season-- during the Division Two clash with Bristol City by referee Mike Dean for celebrating

  • Walshaw's top honours

    CHAMPIONS Walshaw captured the majority of the major cricket prizes at the Bolton Association presentation dinner. Captain Rob Faulkner claimed the league's batting prize with an average of 40,32 while big hitting batsman Brett Collins scooped two honours

  • Carly: Police frogmen search river

    POLICE frogmen searched the River Tonge in the hunt for the clothes worn by murdered teenage prostitute Carly Bateman. When she was last seen, at around midnight on Saturday November 10, she was wearing light coloured three quarter length pants, a grey

  • Smithills cling to top spot

    COMPETITION for promotion places is hotting up in the Bolton Badminton League as the half-way stage of the season comes into view. The scramble for the top spot in E Section is typical of the competitive situation for local players. Here, Smithills B

  • Sam backs PFA action

    SAM Allardyce has pledged his support to the PFA's call for strike action. The Bolton Wanderers' manager, speaking on his personal website, said: "I'm happy to pledge my support to the PFA despite the current threats of TV blackouts. I know the PFA does

  • Ironing out the past

    MEMBERS of Halliwell Local History Society have restored a piece of the past to its former home. The society was asked to investigate the discovery of a cast iron column among the foundations of Jubilee School, Church Road, Halliwell. Now, following members

  • Members honoured

    TWO of the LRC's most well known members were rewarded for their efforts recently by the Bury Sporting Council. Derek Pritchard, the club's blind tandem 'stoker' was named as the "Bury Disabled Sportsman Of The Year" whilst Peter Graham was presented

  • Legal expert takes up court fight

    A LEADING legal expert is to take the fight to save Bolton Magistrates Court to the floor of the House of Lords. The Right Honourable Lord Phillips of Sudbury, who appears on Radio 2's Jimmy Young Radio Show, is prepared to table a debate at Westminster

  • Fears for health of the elderly who must move

    PLANS to bulldoze a popular nursing home in Heaton have been given the green light. The move, to make way for two blocks of flats, will affect around 40 elderly and poorly people who live at Newlands Nursing Home. Relatives of residents at the home have

  • Police dream comes true for Nathan

    A KINDHEARTED bobby has made a youngster's dreams come true by treating him to an action-packed day out. Nathan Howarth, aged three, was over the moon to be invited to a VIP tour of the Air Support Unit at Barton and the horse and dog training school

  • Targets are too tough, claims hospital chief

    HOSPITAL boss John Brunt fears that the Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust will not be able to meet stringent new government targets. And the chief executive, who heads the Royal Bolton Hospital, will now be pushing for extra funding for a new ward. From March

  • Colls march on

    Atherton Colls 4 Daisy Hill 0 ATHERTON Collieries marched into the last four of the Goldline Trophy with a comprehensive second half performance to overpower local rivals Daisy Hill. Daisy Hill gave a good account of themselves in the first half but trailed

  • Breightmet loss leaves boss fuming

    AIR Miles Manchester BREIGHTMET United manager Phil Breakell was left fuming after his side's 6-1 first division defeat by Royton. "That's the heaviest defeat since I've been at Breightmet and its totally unacceptable," he said. "We were well in it then

  • Old boy could be set for Gigg return

    ANDY Preece has confirmed that he is keeping tabs on former Gigg favourite Colin Cramb. The striker was a huge success when he spent three months on loan at Bury from Crewe Alexandra last season, finishing the campaign as the team's leading scorer. Cramb

  • LETTER: Sharrock is right over Knight

    CONGRATULATIONS on Gordon Sharrock's interpretation of the infamous 'knight' at Ipswich - a fair representation of what occured. I was present at Portman Road on the evening in question and have never felt as cheated as I did coming out of that game.

  • Going Underground

    MEMBERS of The Halliwell Theatre Company on Harvey Street go Underground for their next production. The play is a thriller by Michael Sloan which begins tomorrow and runs until Saturday, each night from 7.30pm. Underground features an odd assortment of

  • A Knight to remember: The Bolton view

    BEN Chief Soccer Writer Gordon Sharrock reflects on a match that was unforgettable - for the wrong reasons. Ref could have done untold damage - Sam HE was and still is the man Bolton fans love to hate. On the night of Wednesday, May 17 last year Wanderers

  • Ideal time to see Wilde play

    THE New Egerton Players' next production is Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband. Rehearsals are now under way for the play, which, even though written in 1893, is still relevant, with issues surrounding financial and ministerial scandals, the place of the

  • Life can be a real drag in Tyldesley

    TYLDESLEY Little Theatre's pantomime has not one but three dames on offer this year . . . oh yes it does. The production of Beauty and the Beast intends to triple the fun in a traditional mix of outrageous comedy and heroic actions. The dames preparing

  • Salvation comes to the Citadel

    A CELEBRATION evening of music and song is hosted by The Salvation Army in the Bolton Citadel on St George's Road, Bolton, on Saturday. The concert, which starts 7.30pm, will feature the Hepworth Band, and the Bolton Citadel Songsters -- the adult choir