PORTSMOUTH chairman Milan Mandaric has confirmed he is set to offer George Best a role within the Barclays Premiership club. Mandaric believes the Manchester United legend can play a positive role in raising the profile of Pompey's forthcoming £36m Fratton
LOCKS Heath extended their lead at the top of the Wessex League Division 2 last night with a 1-0 victory over Petersfield Town. It was a stunning result as 'Heath played 82 minutes with only ten men after their keeper Matt Wiltshire was sent off for a
TWO goals from Leon Best helped Saints Reserves to a comfortable 3-1 win over Leicester at Staplewood last night. The goals were Best's seventh and eighth for the reserves this season following a spell in the first-team after injuries to James Beattie
FOUR Fareham Nomads swimmers travelled to the Masters Championships at Sheffield and returned with 11 medals, including six golds. Jo and Tony Corben, Mark Franklin and Ian Fairhurst also won three silver and two bronze medals. Jo Corben returned to her
HAMPSHIRE cable company NTL has signalled progress towards a £1 billion sale of its transmission towers after reporting strong interest from potential bidders. The group said it remained on course to separate the broadcast division by the end of the year
BOTH sides were claiming strong support in the wake of a 24-hour walkout over pay by workers at BAT's Southampton factory. Striking staff were described as being in buoyant mood following the action, while bosses of the 26-acre Millbrook plant said production
DIY giant B&Q is now consulting staff on plans to axe 70 jobs at its Chandler's Ford headquarters. Workers were told about the surprise move through e-mails and face-to-face meetings earlier this week. The losses would be spread across the headquarters
EASTLEIGH & District Junior AC travelled to Goodwood, Chichester, for their latest cross-country venture. Competing in the Hampshire League for the first time this season, there were some encouraging performances. Katie Shipp finished 18th in the
UNDER-13 athlete Alice Cole finished fourth for New Forest Juniors in the second Royal Navy-sponsored Hampshire Cross-Country League fixture at Goodwood. Her run was backed by 37th place from first-year under-13 runner Gemma Knell and sisters Chrissy
SISTERS Abigail and Charlotte Slater from the City of Southampton Swimming Club impressed at the Milton Keynes Distance Designated Open Meet. Charlotte, 14, competed in the 14/15 age group and won the 400m Freestyle. She also won bronze in the 800m Freestyle
SOLENT Stars' new French coach Sylvain Donneaud was thrilled with his young team's performance in the National League. The newly-formed under-16s, comprising seven under-15 players, surprised favourites Trailblazers with a 76-68 point win. It was the
ONE of the leading lights in youth football, Jon Holman, has died peacefully after a long illness, aged 66. Jon was a lifelong sports fan, following the fortunes of Saints as well as being a regular at Hampshire CCC and was instrumental in forming Swan
Andover Reserves 5 Niton 1 ANDOVER Reserves confirmed their place in the third round of the Hants Intermediate Cup with a solid performance at the Portway last Saturday. Against the Isle of Wight League outfit they should have at least equalled the ten
Andover New Street 3 AFC Aldermaston 2 ANDOVER New Street gained a morale-boosting victory on Saturday when they defeated AFC Aldermaston at Foxcotte Park. New boss Glenn Butterfield was in charge for his second game and was stunned when, after starting
Stoneham 14 Overton 16 Having only achieved one point from their first two league outings, this game was a must win for Overton if they were to keep their hopes alive for promotion to Hants II. The home side seemed more focussed and duly scored a converted
Andover U10 (Yellow) 4 Oakley 4 CPS-sponsored Andover started brightly and took the lead through James McArthur, only to let six-man Oakley back in to score twice and take the lead. This spurred Andover on and they equalised through McArthur's second.
Vernham Dean 2 Ludgershall 6 Despite a lacklustre start, Ludgershall overcame Vernham Dean to win a potentially tricky game and collect a valuable three points. Hesitancy in the visitors' defence allowed the hosts to take an early lead. However, Gavin
WEEK Two saw Wherwell B host Stockbridge Fire Station A but they only managed to draw. Wins came from brothers Mark and Lee Ayers for the home team, Ian Carpenter and Richard Stevens for the Firefighters. The long running partnership of Chilbolton C took
Andover 0 Yateley 0 Andover were made to work hard against the league leaders but were well worth the draw after 70 minutes of top quality hockey. The two unbeaten teams were even throughout with both creating a number of chances but neither could score
THE village of Sutton Scotney near Winchester is set to feature in an art-based celebration of National Lottery funding at London's Tate Modern art gallery. The celebrations have been organised by Lotto chiefs to mark their tenth anniversary and feature
Three weeks into the winter season of the Andover Pool Association and it's all change as the newly promoted teams lead their respective packs with the exception of the Premier Division. Here, Blaize 'N' Saddles top the table after two 8-1 wins and still
It may be too early to talk about a two horse race but in the last couple of weeks Royal Oak Charlton and Chute Club have raced away at the top. Fixtures have thrown together the top two against their nearest rivals on consecutive weeks. Lardi Cake and
Donington Park was the venue for the final round of the BRSCC Super Coupe Cup, with local driver Matt Speakman needing to finish at least second in class, and ahead of rival Martin Young, to win the Rover Gti Championship. Heading out for qualifying conditions
COUNCIL services in the New Forest are set to be cut by up to £1m, the Daily Echo can reveal. Large savings need to be made by the district council, which will spend the next few weeks deciding where the axe will fall. Members of the council's ruling
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a Waterside parish councillor was accused of abusing her position for her own ends. Fawley councillor Alexis McEvoy said her conscious was clear after being accused of failing to declare personal interests and
THE GENDER pay gap is far wider in Hampshire than the national average, with men's earnings outstripping women's by an average £2.87 an hour. New government figures expose the inequality in the region's pay packets with Southampton men taking home £2.57
NEARLY £500,000 will go to charity when works by a prominent Hampshire artist go up for auction. The stunning paintings by artist Montague Dawson were owned by his daughter Nyria, who died last year. But in her will she instructed that the works should
THERE are just two days to go before Southampton's 2004 fireworks spectacular. Tickets are still available for the mammoth charity event, at the city's Mayflower Park, and about 10,000 people are expected to turn out. Visitors will see live performances
CAST your mind back to that most pop-tastic of decades that was the 80s and the band that springs to mind is most probably The Human League. Riding the crest of the current wave of 80s nostalgia, The League are touring the UK and are stopping off at Southampton
WINCHESTER teenager Will Nurse took part in his class at the last-ever powerboat racing event on Lake Windermere recently. Will, a student at Peter Symonds College, was racing in Offshore Class III, 2 litre, in his boat Black Thunder, and competed in
Police may be called in as brawl ends in assault Wimborne Town 3, Winchester City 2 WINCHESTER City skipper Lloyd Webber is seeking police action after allegedly being punched in the mouth in the closing stages of this stormy encounter at the Cuthbury
A HAMPSHIRE care home owner returned from an Australian holiday to discover burglars had stolen £20,000 of uninsured jewellery from her home. Jodie Cox, 27, found that the gems, including a £10,000 ring, had been taken from her bedroom at her house in
EASTLEIGH & District Junior AC travelled to Goodwood, Chichester, for their latest cross-country venture. Competing in the Hampshire League for the first time this season, there were some encouraging performances. Katie Shipp finished 18th in the
POLLUTION-busting measures are likely to be shifted up a gear after two of Eastleigh town centre's major approach roads failed Whitehall standards for air quality. Eastleigh Council's powerful executive cabinet will hear tonight that sections of Leigh
A FLEDGLING training company based at Southampton docks is aiming to become a national leader within two years. Skills South Training and Resources, a division of Southampton Cargo Handling plc, offers courses on forklift, crane, tug, stowing and driving
THE day before the ill-fated 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough on September 27 last year, Matthew Oakley gave an interview to the Daily Echo. In it, he talked about the outside possibility of forcing his way into an England squad containing midfielders like
IT was just after 9am yesterday when the full extent of P&Os dramatic announcement began to hit home. The shipping giant signalled a sea change in its ferry operation by axing four routes and about 1,200 jobs. Facing strong competition from the low-cost
MATT OAKLEY wasn't the only first team squad player in action for the reserves last night. Jeremy Wilson rounds up what impact the others had... LEANDRE GRIFFIT: Lit up the first-half last night. Superb skill on the ball and displayed his full range of
NATALIE BOOTH agonisingly missed out on her European Ladies Tour card in southern Italy yesterday. The former Hampshire champion from New Milton was 13 over par after four nerve-stretching rounds of Tour School, and that was just two shots away from securing
A HAMPSHIRE florist has come up with a blooming marvellous idea to help local people living with cancer. Jenni Smith, owner of Floral Fantasy Designs in Netley Abbey, is donating ten per cent of every bouquet she sells this month to Macmillan Cancer Relief
RECORD crowds are expected in West End tomorrow as the Rose Bowl hosts a spectacular fireworks display. The display, held in association with Ocean FM Radio, is expected to be the largest in the area. The Rose Bowl's amphitheatre design will provide an
Today's Principal Arrivals: CFF Seine, roro, 0530, 30; Conformity, cargo, 0630, 107; Roline, roro, 0630, 203; Aurora, passenger, 0645, 106; Cervantes, roro, 0700, 105; Otello, vehicle, 0700, 40; Thebeland, roro, 0700, 34/35; P&O Nedlloyd Torres, container
BOSSES at British American Tobacco's factory in Southampton today urged striking production workers: "Please don't put its future on the line." Six pickets and a handful of supporters displayed placards at the 26-acre site's main gate this morning as
ONE OF the most special specimens in the history of carp fishing has been unveiled at Dorset fishery Milton Abbas. Fishery owner Wayne Little has purchased the five-and-a-half year old fish, pictured above, which weighs in at an incredible 31lb 12oz.
HAMPSHIRE resisted a late Sussex revival to squeeze into the second round of the Liberty Trophy. Although beaten 55-53 at Denton Island, Hampshire took the home rinks 63-55 at East Dorset to triumph 116-110 and earn a second-round date with Oxfordshire
SOLENT'S men are still doing the club proud in Division 2 of the National League despite a slender 3-2 defeat by Thames Valley at Sholing Technology College. With four wins out of six, they are lying joint second - a remarkable achievement considering
Stockbridge 3 Blackfield and Lang 2 STOCKBRIDGE were looking for a good performance to move into the top four of the Wessex League Division Two and also to prepare for tomorrow's Hampshire Senior Cup home tie with Whitchurch United. But Blackfield had
The two Test Valley School sides produced a keenly fought match in Division Three on Friday night. With both teams in contention for the title, it was Jamie Cotterell, for the B side, who excelled as he beat off challenges from the A trio of Jarvis, Carter
A DEVELOPER has weighed in with a revised plan for multi-million pound redevelopment of Winchester City centre. London and Henley (Winchester) wants to derail its rival Thornfield's £100m scheme for Broadway-Friarsgate. L&H wrote to the city council
A ATTEMPT by the police to close a Winchester city centre bar has been deferred until the new year. A lawyer for Moloko Bar described the police actions as unfounded and "malicious". The police and city council allege the popular bar in The Square is
Andover 41 London Irish Amateur 15 CFL UK-sponsored Andover's run of consecutive league victories continued on Saturday, with their first home win of the season, against a strong London Irish team. The county champions built upon their recent run of good
Enham B have jumped above their A side to top the table after a 6-1 win over Portals A. However, they lost to their C side 2-5 with good wins for Steve Green and Steve Wilkinson. Enham C also defeated the previous leaders Enham A 7-0 the week previously
Andover's Ohdokwan Black Belt Academy was proud to welcome Jason Bonthuys as a new third degree Black Belt among the senior ranks of the other Dan grades in the club recently. Jason has been a Tae Kwon Do student since he was four years old, and continues
TRACK preparation and presentation was superb, suitable for an international meeting and early rain in the morning quickly died and with practice finished the rider's parade ended with all the riders grouped together for a minute's silence for the late
Policy-makers in the county have been given a "wake-up" call by experts on the future shape of Hampshire at a seminar looking at the possible effects of global warming. David Newble reports... IT could be paradise. Sun-kissed beaches, basking in weather
Welsh National Opera - Chorus! The Mayflower, Southampton IT HAS to be said, the Welsh National Opera knows how to put on a good show. I feared a compilation show - featuring highlights from several operas - would be drably presented, but Chorus! was
A THREE-year-old boy was given out-of-date antibiotics when his mother took him to a Southampton health centre. Mum Laura Cooper said she was "appalled" when she discovered the medication had expired by a month as she went to give it to son Beau. Health
MORE than £135,000 of property and drugs was seized from criminals by police piloting a state-of-the-art scanning device in Hamp-shire, the Daily Echo can reveal. And 387 motorists were arrested for offences including burglary, theft and car crime thanks
FREE fruit will be dished out to schoolchildren across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight today as part of a new initiative to tackle child obesity. Youngsters at about 360 local schools will receive a daily piece of fruit or vegetable in the biggest government
DEADLINE day is looming for people desperate to save 12 Hampshire post offices facing the axe. The consultation period into the proposals run by Post Office watchdog Postwatch will end tomorrow. Residents can make their opposition heard by phone, post
THE family of Southampton motorbike crash victim Wayne Howard will open a charity shop tomorrow to help other brain-damaged patients. Plans for the shop were unveiled in August, four years after the father of three suffered horrific injuries in a near-fatal
FOR many people, setting themselves a challenge means giving up chocolate for a week or vowing to hit the gym more often. But when three New Forest men decided to do something a bit different, they really did mean business. Ian Webb, Vaughan Pyne and
EASTLEIGH bowed out of the Senior Cup on a chilly Monday night at the hands of a slick H&W outfit who had a distinct edge in all departments. Havant & Waterlooville 3, Eastleigh 1 The Conference 2 South side were a fraction quicker in movement
COMMON extended their run of consecutive league wins to eight, but needed an injury-time Simon Stillwell header to do it against determined Overton.Overton Utd 1 Colden Common 2 This was a real muck-and-bullets affair on a heavy pitch, both sides contributing
GREEN Party MEP Caroline Lucas will visit the Isle of Wight next week where she will speak at the Older Voices AGM. Dr Lucas, pictured, MEP for South-East England, will discuss EU policy on rights for older people and pension arrangement in other EU states
A HISTORIC water mill being lovingly restored as an antiques and retail outlet and museum is due to open to the public later this month. Historians were horrified when owners Hampshire County Council put Chesapeake Mill in Wickham on the market last year
FOR the first time in Eastleigh, police officers on the beat are stepping out in body armour. The tougher stab-proof vest, gives extra protection from sharp knives and needles, and is also partially bulletproof. It's part of a £2m investment for the Hampshire
FROM day one it was no ordinary tug, but, as Hilda White officially launched Calshot, she could little have imagined the craft's staying power. Today, 75 years exactly since the vessel was officially named, Mrs White's granddaughter will echo the same
DURING the 1930s, Calshot manoeuvred the world's greatest ocean liners - Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, United States, France - as well as countless other vessels in Southampton Docks. She was certified to carry 566 passengers and even had first and second
SHIP outfitters in the south will have another public money contract in their sights following the refurbishment of a vessel that supplies fuel to Britain's warships at sea. The 30-year-old RFA Black Rover underwent a £7m overhaul at Birkenhead, Merseyside
FAMOUS faces from behind the creative worlds of television and literature are lining up for a wide selection of lectures on board the luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2, next year. The best-selling mystery author Mary Higgins Clark and the director
