EBBW Vale are waiting for fitness tests on three players before they finalise their side to face Neath in the Welsh League at Eugene Cross Park tomorrow. Wing Nick Wakely (ankle), lock Neil Edwards (shoulder) and lock or blindside flanker Chay Billen
IT'S one of the most respected conservation projects in the world - and it's right on Gwent's doorstep. The National Bird of Prey Centre in Newent, Gloucestershire, is a day out in its own right - there's so much to see, do and learn that the hours can
THE Sights' debut UK tour will take them to Bristol's Louisiana next month. Another retro band from Detroit, The Sights have been hailed as great songwriters and stylish rock'n'rollers. With a definite nod to 60s garage groups and a bass heavy goodtime
A CRIME crackdown in the centre of Newport has netted nearly 650 arrests in 12 months. Only five officers are behind the arrests in 2002, which include 432 for theft and resulted in 590 crimes being solved. The officers also recovered £26,758 worth of
NEWPORT captain Simon Raiwalui is determined to put all the Welsh rugby uncertainty behind him as he pledges to lead the team from the front for the rest of this season. Premier Division players with all clubs are not sure what the future holds and whether
FOLLOWING a successful event on Bristol's floating club The Thekla, No Ground Processes (NGP) return to Newport tomorrow. The arts collective will bring two bands from the West Country to play TJs with Newport's home-grown Teriyaki. Headliners Hewas are
GET on your bike and join one of the UK's oldest cycling clubs, celebrating its 50th anniversary. Having reached its half century Newport Phoenix is going from strength to strength. After a great 2002 when it hosted the prestigious UK Crit race the club
A NEWPORT head teacher is being nominated for a 2003 Teaching Award by the mother of one of her pupils. Christine Jackson, head of Glasllwch Primary School, in Melbourne Way, Newport, said she was shocked to be nominated: "It came as a complete surprise
MIRROR, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? You could be, if you put a bit more blusher on those cheekbones. Imagine being able to look into a mirror that was able to tell you how best to apply your make-up. According to futurologist Ian
THE pressure about the future of Welsh rugby is having an effect on the players, Newport coach Leigh Jones reveals today. It is the first time a premier club official has admitted that the whole debate on the structure of Welsh rugby is getting to the
LLANWERN bid to establish their best run of the season when they entertain Pontardawe in the First Division tomorrow. Two successive wins over strugglers Ely Rangers and Garden Village have eased Llanwern's relegation fears and manager Kevin Russell said
CROSS Keys coach David Rees will tell his players to go out and beat Whitland in the Principality Cup tomorrow to reward the club for its loyalty to them. Rees, in his first stint at the helm, took Keys to the semi-finals in 1999 before they went out
A MOTORIST who drove "atrociously" on a major road in Gwent, causing the death of two of his passengers, was jailed for six years today, and disqualified from driving for eight years at Cardiff crown court. Father of two Paul Greeves, aged 25, was described
GWENT police have welcomed the first ever road safety strategy for Wales. The strategy aims to reduce the total number of people killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads by 40 per cent by 2010. In Gwent last year, 25 people were killed on the roads.
THE Polyphonic Spree plays Cardiff next month. Matthew Blythe spoke to band leader Tim Delaughter about his 24-piece band. Not since the excess of Geoff Love and his Orchestra has a band as gloriously kitsch as The Polyphonic Spree had such a high profile
THE title of Bryan Ferry's last album - Frantic - went against everything we ever thought we knew about the man. Frantic? The coolest living Englishman? The original lounge lizard? But after years of seeming inactivity, Ferry's career is once again in
TREDEGAR know their home and away games with Treorchy, their visit to Rumney and their home clash with Beddau will determine whether they survive in Division One this season, writes Paul Tully. So it's not surprising coach Robert Johnstone says of the
GWENT presents a united front after the Welsh Rugby Union general committee last night rubber stamped new chief executive David Moffett's revolutionary plan for four regional teams next season. If the recommendation is endorsed at an extraordinary meeting
PETER Nicholas firmly believes in the old adage: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' The Newport County manager was crowing after his side's top-notch performance at high-flying Chippenham Town and believes their display deserved more than a point. Some
GWENT presents a united front after the Welsh Rugby Union general committee last night rubber stamped new chief executive David Moffett's revolutionary plan for four regional teams next season. If the recommendation is endorsed at an extraordinary meeting
NEWPORT captain Simon Raiwalui is determined to put all the Welsh rugby uncertainty behind him as he pledges to lead the team from the front for the rest of this season. Premier Division players with all clubs are not sure what the future holds and whether
A SECOND police officer is poised to sue Gwent Police following the Newbridge robbery shooting. On Wednesday we revealed how former police constable Andrew David Hurley, (pictured) a former armed response officer with the force, is suing Chief Constable
SHOPPERS in Newport will have a new store in April. International fashion chain H&M is moving into the city centre. The company will occupy the former C&A building at 161-163 Commercial Street and hopes to open its new store in April. H&M
BEDWAS know all about cup giant-killers, having been ones themselves on more than one occasion, writes Paul Tully. That's why they'll take nothing for granted when Division Five Central leaders Nantymoel visit the Bridge Field in round six on Saturday
STAFF at a Royal Mail depot in Newport walked out today after an announcement that it will close - with some losing their jobs. Furious staff were told today that Newport depot and cash centre, Maesglas Retail Park, where 62 staff are employed, will close
IT'S full steam ahead for the Ebbw Valley railway after the National Assembly pledged more than £11 million in funding. The announcement came after it was revealed the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is unlikely to provide the revenue support needed to
FEARS are growing for the safety of a 21-year-old student who disappeared after a night out in Newport. Rebekah Milford, (pictured) who is studying documentary photography at the University of Wales, Newport, was reported missing at 3am yesterday. The
MARK WILLIAMS (pictured) may have won the second-biggest snooker tournament on the circuit last month but he reckons he is still nowhere near his best. Williams is on the march at the Regal Welsh snooker championships at Cardiff International Arena and
NEWBRIDGE skipper Damien Cooper (pictured) enjoyed his side's Principality Cup clash against Premier giants Llanelli at the Welfare Ground last season, writes Paul Tully. But as much as he and his team-mates would love to repeat the experience this time
THE Dilshad Restaurant, in Clarence Place, Newport, stands in an area of the city that can be either one of two extremes - busy and filled with people on Friday and Saturday nights, or quiet and deserted midweek. Luckily, when we visited midweek it was
PONTYPOOL points machine Byron Hayward has revealed he has been playing with damaged knee ligaments and cartilage for the last three months. The tireless campaigner, who has never once shied from giving his all to the Pooler cause, has been left barely
THERE was a mixed reaction to revelations yesterday that the government plans to put a deadline on new claims by ex-miners for chest disease compensation. We reported yesterday, on the fifth anniversary of the landmark High Court ruling which allowed
DOCKRAD Records present a triple bill of some of the more interesting new and unsigned bands in the UK next week. Goldrush are headliners with The Keys and Headtest in support plus DJs from Great Pilgrimage in Clwb Ifor Bach on Thursday, January 30. Goldrush
TORCH Songs are particularly sultry ballads, named for their slow-burning quality. Judy Garland, Peggy Lee and Julie London have all melted hearts with songs from the canon such as Cry me a River, Fever and Is that All there Is. They tend either to celebrate
TWELVE people were injured in two crashes on the M4 yesterday evening, causing rush-hour chaos around Newport. And a Gwent Police spokesman blamed "rubber neckers" for causing the second crash. The spokesman said: "At 5.15pm there was a minor accident
Richard Hurlin's move from Llanelli to Cwmbran Town could prove a double lift - for club and player, writes Ray Parker. The 19-year-old (pictured) who celebrated his birthday ten days is still seeking the big breakthrough while the Crows look for a late
