The change in skipper has worked wonders for the crew on Team SpirIT in the BT Global Challenge as the fleet heads down to the Doldrums and onto Buenos Aires. After coming in last on the first leg from Southampton to Boston, skipper Andy Dare shocked
POMPEY'S player manager Steve Claridge will have an unusual feeling when he faces up to former club Birmingham City tomorrow. He'll not only be playing against his old club, he'll also be the man planning the strategy to beat the old firm. But Claridge
Shane Warne has set his sights on returning for the Boxing Day Test after confirming he will miss at least the first three clashes against the West Indies with a fractured finger. Australias all-time leading wicket-taker, who was Hampshire's overseas
TWO suspects were questioned after police discovered illegal drugs worth £10,000 at a Gosport house. A woman and a man were arrested when police found the stash of about five ounces of heroin in a house in Rowner. The find, one of the largest this year
STAFF and patients at Hampshire's newest hospital are settling in after their move from Chandler's Ford to Winchester. Leigh House Hospital is now fully operational after the completion of the £5 million scheme. The hospital, on Alresford Road, just outside
Basingstoke go in search of a third consecutive National League 3 South victory when they host Weston-super-Mare tomorrow. Consecutive wins over Reading and Tabard have hoisted Basingstoke up the table, whereas Weston are now isolated at the bottom without
A FIRM has defended its decision to fence in a public footpath across Baddesley Common. This follows criticism of Draper Tools' action by North Baddesley Parish Council chairman, Alan Dowden. He claims the fence is "very dangerous" and unsuitable for
A SCHEME to build a new access road into a White-parish sandpit has failed to get support from Salisbury councillors. Members of the district council's southern area committee disagreed with two ideas Wiltshire County Council put forward for a new access
Saint Nicholas, the original Father Christmas, will be seen larger than life on the streets of Winchester in the coming weeks prior to his appearance as the hero of the oldest known play in any modern European language. A 12ft-high walking, talking, giant
WORK to widen and install traffic signals on the roundabout above the slip road westbound at junction 2 of the M27 near Ower begins on November 6th. The Highways Agency says the lights are being installed to assist the flow of traffic leaving the motorway
A party of 20 young voters from Winchester visited the Houses of Parliament on a trip organised by Conservative Future, the youth wing of the city's Conservative Association. The tour was led by election hopeful, Andrew Hayes, and it included a meeting
NEW public clocks will soon be appearing all over Hampshire to mark the Millennium. Thanks to a millennium festival grant, the county council is constructing a varied collection of public timepieces for interesting and unusual sites around the county.
LOTTERY bosses have pumped £31,600 into two special needs projects benefiting children and parents in the Romsey area. Baden-Powell Way-based Acorns Out of School Club has been awarded £20,000 and the Romsey Out of School Club--a project run by the community
A ROMSEY teenager is planning the jump of her life--to help save others. Natalie Hope, of Strong's Close, is going to plunge 10,000 from a plane in aid of the National Kidney Research Fund. She said: "I have never flown before, let alone done a parachute
ABOUT 35 stalls could form part of a new and much larger Romsey street market. Borough estates boss, Don Whiteley, has outlined details of the plans. Three possible sites have been earmarked, an extension of the current market in the Dolphin Hotel car
VILLAGES on Romsey's doorstep are included in the draft proposals defining the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. Countryside Agency bosses have put Landford, Plaitford, West Wellow, Ower, Hillstreet, Copythorne and Netley Marsh in the new park
Today's principal Southampton arrivals: Hual Tropicana, ro-ro, 1230, 40; Arroyofrio Dos, ro-ro, 1500, 201; Fides, ro-ro, 1915, 202; NOL Iris, container, 2030, 207. Today's principal Southampton sailings: Nedlloyd Hongkong, container, 0200, 204; Hockenheim
POLICE were today probing a £10,000 burglary at a home in the Sholing area of Southampton. Raiders targeted the terraced property in Northeast Road, between 6pm-9pm last night, forcing their way in by smashing a glass panel in the back door. Among items
THE HEAD of a national watchdog group has panned the toilets at Southampton's £295 million WestQuay Shopping Centre. Since its opening in September the glittering shopping centre that boasts some of the most up-to-date technology available has come in
POLICE investigating a missing embryos scandal at a Hampshire fertility clinic have arrested an embryologist, it was reported today. Hampshire Police today said a man had been arrested on suspicion of deception and theft in connection with the inquiry
ROGUE traders could be outlawed by proposals going through Parliament backed by Southampton MP Alan Whitehead. The aim is to allow courts to ban unscrupulous and dishonest workers from plying their business and preying on vulnerable householders. But
VISITORS to Southampton General Hospital face disruption this weekend as work is completed on an extension to the multi-storey car park. The Tremona Road entrance was being closed from 2pm today until Sunday evening. All traffic will have to enter the
A BUSINESSMAN who killed a man with a single punch was today starting a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Bryn Edwards, 39, of Pond Road, Sarisbury Green, dealt Paul Whiteside, 37, pictured left, the fatal blow outside the Abshot Hotel and Country
POLICE are hunting a window cleaner who is believed to have stolen a 68-year-old woman's savings while working at her Southampton home. The victim let the man inside her house in Nursery Road, Bitterne Park, after he turned up on her doorstep clutching
SOUTHAMPTON'S private hire and taxi trade will meet today to decide where and when to mount the blockades that threaten to bring the city to a grinding halt. Chairman of the Southampton Taxi and Private Hire Association (STAPH), Clive Johnson, told the
BIKE shop owners in Hampshire are bracing themselves for another boom in sales. During last month's petrol crisis many people used pedal power to get about. Alan Rosenthal, manager of Portswood Cycles, in St Denys Road, Southampton, said: "We must have
SAMPLES are currently being analysed in a bid to trace the source of an oil spill which polluted an 800 metre stretch of Southampton Water foreshore near Hamble. Eastleigh council confirmed yesterday that its environmental health office had been notified
Stressed? Don't be daft. It may be the title of her latest show but don't be misled by the misnomer. Ruby Wax insists - stresses, in fact - that it is not about therapy or stress. Both are mentioned but "only about two pages in a script of about 40."
IF you were looking to compare The Beatles to a contemporary band, then Embrace wouldn't automatically spring to mind. But this summer, the foursome, who hail from Huddersfield, spent time in Thailand and witnessed scenes mirroring those of The Beatles
A CAMPAIGN is being launched to reduce dramatically the number of children injured in road accidents in the New Forest. New figures from Hampshire County Council show that 112 youngsters were hurt in crashes in the Forest last year. The statistic accounts
DISABLED Eastleigh man Christopher Leech is singing the praises of the Daily Echo and the police after the return of his vital wheelchair. On Wednesday, we told how thieves had stolen 52-year-old Mr Leech's lifeline when they made off with his wheelchair
PLANS to convert part of a Park Gate chemist's into an off-licence has infuriated more than 70 protesting local residents. They have presented a petition to Sarisbury councillor Sean Woodward, opposing the conversion of part of Everett's Chemist in Bridge
BILLY ELLIOT (15): **** A young boy discovers he has a talent for ballet dancing - UGC, Ocean Village, Southampton; The Screen, Winchester; Odeon, Southampton. BLAIR WITCH 2: THE BOOK OF SHADOWS (15): ** Fictionalised account of what happened after the
Paul Jones returns to the scene of his greatest save tomorrow aiming to block Manchester United's title charge. The Saints keeper never fully received the credit he deserved for a stunning double save in last season's 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. Jones made
After losing so poorly at home to the blue half of Manchester on Monday, Saints will be desperate to recapture their away form tomorrow - but they will have to do without their central defensive rock Dean Richards again. Richards has a badly-bruised heel
Organisers of tonight's Wessex Heartbeat Ball are hoping for some towering bids for a unique piece of soccer memorabilia. Renowned sculptor Timothy Richards has reproduced Wembley's famous twin towers as bookends in marbled plaster. They have been signed
AWARD-winning Hampshire publicans, Geoff and Sandie Mercer, of the Gleneagles in Hythe, are hoping for even more success at the Whitbread Pub Partnerships excellence awards in Monte Carlo on November 14. Having already won the Beer Pub of the Year title
Southampton University team racer Dom Johnson trounced the cream of British Olympic medallists on the first day of the Chernikeeff RYA National Match Racing Championship Finals in London Docklands. He lost only to Graham Sunderland and Olympic champion
BEN Ainslie may have a worthy successor to his Olympic Laser title in Mark Howard after the Lee-on-Solent sailor was selected for the Volvo Youth World Championships in Sydney over the New Year. Howard, 18, won selection for the British Youth Sailing
Justin Rose fired a respectable two-under-par first round in the Italian Open yesterday but was facing a mountainous challenge to his hopes of staying on the European Tour. Such was the high standard of play on the Is Molas course in Sardinia that 90
LYMINGTON & New Milton's new signing Nick Miles is primed to make his debut at home to Thatcham Town tomorrow. The Jewson Wessex League leaders, who have been named club-of-the-month for September, have paid Salisbury City £1,000 for the former AFC
RUGBY UNION: Hampshire were hoping to have two Fijians in the squad to face West Indies at United Services Portsmouth on Sunday (2.30). The acting Hampshire team manager, Roy Harris said, "They both sounded very useful. They're in the Army but have been
ROMSEY MP Sandra Gidley was one of the first members to welcome new speaker, Michael Martin, into the House of Commons. Congratulating Mr Martin on his election to the role on Tuesday, Mrs Gidley told him: "I hope your choice of clothing is an indication
One of Winchester's schools has taken extra-curricular activity to the extreme with its bid to raise £100,000 in a year. The ambitious total has been set to enable Western Primary School to build a music and drama room and improve IT facilities. Since
A CONTROVERSIAL scheme to build a storage shed and maintain lorries at a disused filling station near Broughton has been approved. Salisbury planners gave the go-ahead to Michael Davis's application at Stockbridge Road filling station, Lopcombe Corner
Traffic wardens this week closed ranks after a visitor to Winchester vowed never to return because of the way they treated him. Dr Philip Johnston says he spent £200 shopping, having lunch and visiting the Cathedral and the Great Hall. But when he got
TENANTS, officers and board members will meet together at the first Testway Housing Tenants' Conference next Saturday (November 4th). Taking place at the Test Valley School in Stockbridge, the theme is "A New Beginning". The Company Business Action Plan
FINAL say on an application to build eight retirement cottages at Landford will rest with deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's department. Salisbury planners have recommended refusal of the scheme, at the Cedar Nursing Home, but the application is already
An elderly woman has been conned out of up to £60,000 worth of paintings and jewellery by two tricksters. The men, both white and aged 20 to 30, knocked at the door her home in St James' Lane, Winchester, expressing interest in some of her property. But
A major report by an international property consultant has confirmed fears that towns close to Southampton could be badly hit by the phenomenal early success of WestQuay shopping centre. "Eastleigh, Fareham and Winchester are likely to be hardest-hit
A DESPERATE plea for safety measures on a busy stretch of road outside an Eastleigh school campus has been reissued nearly a year after angry parents highlighted its dangers. Just days before thousands of children are due back at Fair Oak's Wyvern Community
ASSOCIATED British Ports, which operates the docks on Southampton, has shaken up its interests in Cardiff. It has sold £53 million of Cardiff Bay Estate but at the same time has joined forces with Norwich Union to manage the land and properties. "This
HAMPSHIRE and its cities have been urged to embrace the concept of lifelong learning in developing a multi-skilled workforce - or face the possibility of a decline in its prosperity. Speaking at the third annual conference of the Hampshire Economic Partnership
QUALITY of service and the helpfulness of staff are top of the list of what small businesses want from their banks, a survey showed this week. The study for NatWest of 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses found 90 per cent felt their banks now provided
LEADING solicitors Paris Smith & Randall joined supporters of the Macmillan South East Hampshire Nurse Appeal at the English National Ballet Performance of Swan Lake at the Mayflower Theatre last week. The sponsored event enabled Paris Smith &
A MAN suffered serious head injuries last night in a major disturbance involving around 40 Sikh men in Southampton's inner city area. Police said the incident in the Nicholstown area of St Mary's was not being treated as racially- motivated. The 25-year-old
A MAN who was skewered when a drug-crazed attacker thrust a Samurai sword straight through him amazingly survived. The blade went straight through Stephen Luter's back and out through his belly - somehow missing his vital organs. He looked on in horror
A GOVERNMENT minister has called for a partnership between government, public and private organisations to combat discrimination against older people and those who are disabled. "We can pass laws and put money in appropriate places, but in the end we
SOUTHAMPTON port chief Jimmy Chestnutt was questioned on the Dibden Bay dock scheme by environment chiefs yesterday. Capt Chestnutt, of Associated British Ports, said the proposal to build six new container berths was vital to the port's future. Container
HITTING all the high notes - that's 13-year-old singing star Lianne Marie Birkett who says she wants to be famous. The Sholing Girls' School pupil became one of the youngest entertainers to win a round of the Les Perry regional karaoke contest when she
Even though she left the nation's favourite soap years ago, Sophie Lawrence will probably forever be known as Diane Butcher, Frank's daughter from EastEnders, for which she says she will always be grateful. "Even now I'm older and I've changed so much
A group of 20-somethings meet one night in an abandoned house. Gathering round a ouija board for a laugh they soon find themselves conjuring up the kind of ghost they hadn't bargained for. The five friends are a mixed bunch that include an estate agent
Mansun (review) Southampton University. WHEN it comes to reliability then you could put your mortgage on Mansun. For good ole' Mansun are the last bastions of indie rock (although don't tell them that) are still going stronger than ever. When Oasis were
IRISH rockers Ash have delighted their South coast fans with another intimate appearance in Salisbury. The band played Salisbury Arts Centre last year as a Glastonbury warm-up gig and return to the former church on November 27. The venues on the UK tour
HOME-START Eastleigh is set to go back to the Swinging Sixties in a bid to raise much-needed funds to cover the cost of a Christmas party for under fives. Organisers are hoping that a nostalgic evening of music from popular local band Peter Pod and the
A TRIBUTE to a woodcarving student-turned lecturer who died earlier this year, and work by a blind artist, feature at a sculpture exhibition in Fareham. Westbury Manor Museum, on West Street, is showing the work of students at woodwork classes held in
A ROAD tanker containing fruit yoghurt crashed on the M27 this morning causing delays to traffic. The lorry was in collision with another heavy goods vehicle and jack-knifed across the westbound lanes of the motorway. The accident happened at about 5am
A FICTIONALISED account of what happened after the release of the first Blair Witch Project, director Joe Berlinger's film is essentially a straightforward shlock-horror flick with a thumping soundtrack and gallons of gore. Which is great news for those
In his book The Life Of Reason, philosopher George Santayana comments: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". Former insurance investigator Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) would seem to be a case in point; a man suffering from a
