The four-title Brentwood Gazette Series in Essex has broken with nearly a century of tradition by devoting its back page entirely to sport for the first time.

The move has been welcomed by sports fans and by the many clubs and societies featured in the sports section.

Editor Roger Watkins said: "Since the Gazette was launched in 1919 news has, unusually for British newspapers, been on the back page.

"I suspect that originally in hot metal days the shared forme with page one made the back useful for late stories and even lineage advertisements.

"Now, though, we are able to reflect the modern, changing needs of sports fans without diluting our news coverage. It also gives newspaper sales the opportunity to promote the 'front page' of sport as well as the actual front page side by side on display stands."

This year the Gazette has re-designed its masthead, changed its publication day and extensively revamped its go! Leisure section which its shares with its sister publication, the Essex Chronicle.

The previous mastheads for the four-title series, the Brentwood Gazette, Billericay and Wickford Gazette, Ongar and North Weald Gazette and the Harold Gazette, used to be different, but have been standardised under the 'Gazette' banner.

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