FORMER Portsmouth and Irish international Mark Kelly is the new number two at Salisbury. Whites boss Nick Holmes has acted fast to find an assistant following Tommy Killick's decision to move on down to Poole Town as manager. Kelly is no stranger to Salisbury
IN ADDITION to the big set-piece debates at Westminster, each week there is the adjournment debate - a series of lower-profile discussions initiated by individual MPs on specific subjects. One of my first, nearly 30 years ago, was about a fast-food chain
I VISITED the Basingstoke Advocacy Service last week for an update on its activities. As some readers will know, it provides advice and assistance, whatever the problem or difficulty, however great or small. I have the highest regard for the Advocacy
BRIGHT yellow ambulances equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment are to take to the county's roads. The vehicles, hailed by Hampshire Ambulance Service as the "new generation" of vehicles, are the start of a multi-million-pound replacement scheme
Today's Principal Arrivals: Hyundai Independence, container, 0315, 205; Alioth Leader, ro-ro, 0330, 43; OOCL Los Angeles, container, 0530, 25; CFF Solent, ro-ro, 0530, 207; Adonia, passenger, 0700, 106; Figaro, vehicle, 0730, 40; Arroyofrio Dos, ro-ro
BRITAIN'S last stake in the helicopter industry looks certain to fall into foreign hands after engineering group GKN agreed in principle to sell off its 50 per cent stake in AgustaWestland for £1.06 billion. GKN is one of the Isle of Wight's biggest employers
THERE are just 138 long-term unemployed adults in Southampton, according to latest government figures. The jobs boom is driving up salaries and conditions as companies vie to attract talented staff. Numbers of long-term unemployed in the city have fallen
HAMPSHIRE'S women bowlers go into this afternoon's match against Dorset determined to make a name for themselves in the Walker Cup this season. Last summer Hampshire for once did themselves justice in national inter-county competitions by reaching the
SALISBURY angler John Gray scored the biggest victory of his career winning the Stafford Moor Spring Festival. Gray beat 100 of the south's best anglers, and teammate Dave Roper followed him home to land a tremendous success for local anglers. Stafford
Collingbourne v Box COLLINGBOURNE'S first victory of the new season came in emphatic style. Skipper Ben Nichols won the toss and elected to bat and under blue sky and red sun some hot batting by the openers G Khan 49 and G Chandler 64 put them into a
Hurstbourne Priors v Steeple Langford Hurstbourne Priors returned to winning ways by amassing their best ever league score, against unbeaten Steeple Langford. Batting first Priors hit an amazing 23 sixes in their total and never looked in much trouble
Longparish v East Tytherley ON SATURDAY at the Parish ground Longparish's cricketers emulated the film 'The Great Escape'. Batting first on a good, fast and hard pitch with a lightning quick outfield, they were on the ropes at 34-4 against a useful East
The Andover table tennis season is over for another year and more than 100 players and guests attended the presentation evening, held at the Enham Shoosmith Centre. Figheldean players enjoyed another successful season with Brian Rayment taking the open
KJM 38 Natural Balance 26 Tempers flared on Friday night as the top of the Division One battled for the top spot. The game was highly competitive and the umpire had to stop play at one point to calm the players. Kate Towerton made some fantastic full
NOISE pollution busters have set up a hotline to deal with problems at the Homelands music festival. The event at Cheesefoot Head near Winchester this weekend features some of the biggest names in dance music. It starts at midday on Saturday and finishes
Glorious weather made racing at the Hampshire championships a little easier for several athletes from Andover Club but competition was as tough as ever. Hannah Ashmore had a spectacular weekend as she easily won her 100m heat in a new PB which took her
There were a few surprise results in the Plate as Chute Club B from Division Two beat Merrie Monk B in the last pairs game of the night to squeeze through by 5-4. Outstanding for the Chute side were Ade Eades and Ian Pinkernell, both players combined
DEAD New Forest ponies could be left to rot in front of tourists if their owners are barred from joining a major new scheme. The grim warning has been issued by the Forest's two MPs, who are furious at plans to exclude horses from a livestock collection
A LITTLE girl from Hook was the first pupil to sign up for the new Sherfield School, which now has nearly 100 pupils registered to start in September. Eleanor Wilson (pictured), who lives with her parents David and Julia Wilson and big brother Alex, in
LOCAL Liberal Democrat leader Brian Gurden accused the Tories of being in a "parallel universe" as he outlined his party's plan to fight elections on Thursday, June 10. The Lib-Dems are putting candidates forward for 18 of the 22 wards and the party's
DETECTIVES investigating a double death in a Southampton hotel room have warned that a batch of lethal drugs could be circulating in the city. The discovery of the two bodies of men aged in their 30s has prompted police to release the warning after initial
A NEW nursery providing much-needed childcare in western Southampton is open for business. Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, formally opened the Trust Taplins Childcare and Learning Centre at Western Community Hospital,
A MULTI-million-pound scheme to build a gymnasium next to Southampton's planned healthy living centre in St Mary's has been dealt a hammer blow. Leisure chiefs have revealed that a £2m lottery grant earmarked to build state-of-the-art gym facilities next
THE Hampshire art collector whose works were auctioned last week left more than £8m in his will. Keith Bromley, of Ashley Manor, near King's Somborne, left to relatives his estate valued at £8,689,766 gross, £8,645,063 net, according to figures released
THE artists at Project Workshops in Quarley are gearing up for this year's open weekend and summer exhibition on 5 and 6 June. The weekend launches the two-week Open Art 2004, which celebrates visual arts throughout Test Valley. Workshops owner Richard
WITH only around a month to go before the second Andover Festival Weekend on 26 and 27 June, the organisers Andover Lions Club are confident the event will be bigger, more successful and even more enjoyable than last year. The carnival entries in both
LUDGERSHALL'S district councillor Peter Richard-son says there is a big black hole in health provision in his area and he thinks the community needs more investment to improve the situation. Cllr Richardson, who had to relinquish his place in the Kennet
TEST the barn owl was the guest of honour at Rookwood School's fete on Saturday to help the proceedings get under way. He arrived with Bob Rogers from the Hawk Conservancy on what was his first birthday - and his first time away from home. The event was
Nineteen Primary schools from Winchester and the surrounding area swam their hearts out at the fifth Brooks Shopping Centre sponsored Primary Schools Gala. With 275 children and a full gallery of supporters the event was both exciting and noisy. In their
The aim of The Gazette's campaign is to make this phrase something that our town and borough becomes synonymous with. For far too long, Basingstoke has been the butt of jokes. For far too long, Basingstoke has been the target of ill-informed criticism
SIR Michael Wilford, who will be laying a wreath for Andover's D-Day commemorations, has shared some of his memories with the Andover Advertiser. It was 60 years ago that the former sapper's unit of the Royal Engineers, 82 Assault Squadron - part of 79
Trojans suffered a one-wicket defeat at the hands of Rowledge, their second loss of the season. Winning the toss and electing to bat Trojans soon lost Simon Williams, but Dan Babidge, promoted to open the innings in the absence of Mario Mohammed, played
JAZZ sensation Clare Teal visits The Anvil in Basingstoke next month as part of her UK tour. Since her debut album That's The Way It Is was released in 2001 she has proved to be one of the most talented newcomers to hit the jazz scene in years - joining
FEARS that ostriches might run amok did not stop plans for a charity music festival in Wickham getting the go-ahead from council chiefs. About 1,500 music lovers will descend on Little Tapnage Farm in Titchfield Lane to see live bands and DJs in July.
POLICE in Hampshire have launched an investigation after a young woman claimed she had her drink spiked with a "date rape" drug. The woman became ill after having drunk just two glasses of wine in a pub in the Eastleigh area. She told police she had been
THE grieving family of an experienced motorcyclist who died after mysteriously coming off his bike at more than 70mph will never know what caused his fatal accident. An inquest heard father-of-two David Brian, 57, was seen to wobble as he rounded a bend
IT'S been happening for at least 30 years - but even though Kim Surey has only had to endure crashes outside his Hampshire home since 1999, he's fed up of picking up the pieces. Now he is calling for safety measures to be implemented on the Broad Oak
RUPERT LOWE last night revealed that Saints are at a "reasonably advanced stage" in their efforts to make new signings. The Saints chairman backed the view of manager Paul Sturrock that major changes to the squad were not necessary - but admitted the
A MAJOR police crackdown to cut the number of people across Hampshire who suffer the misery of being burgled has been launched in Basingstoke. The new Safer Homes campaign aims not only to target the thieves, but also to drive a message home to people
MORE police officers and more prison sentences are two of the prescriptions from Basingstoke Conservative MP Andrew Hunter for cutting down on burglary. Mr Hunter was commenting on figures obtained by the Conservative Party that, he says, show only 1.7
DETECTIVES have sent warning letters to residents of South View, Basingstoke, after a spate of burglaries involving elderly victims in March. The letters, delivered to homes in Shooters Way and Doswell Way, warn residents to look out for people behaving
THE GAZETTE is finally able to reveal the identities of the five men Basingstoke police say were some of the worst burglars in the town. The number of burglaries dropped dramatically when police arrested the five heroin addicts in the summer of 2003.
POMPEY have completed the signing of Newcastle defender Andy Griffin. Former Stoke right back Griffin, 25, has signed a four-year deal after completing his free transfer from Newcastle, who he joined from Stoke for £1.5m six years ago. Pompey boss Harry
HAMPSHIRE skipper Shane Warne has admitted he's been surprised by England's continued success on the Test arena. With the emergence of Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain's gutsy hundred on the final day against New Zealand last week at Lord's, England
Winchester City director of football David Malone has admitted that he would be "insulted" if no bid is made for any of his FA Vase winners. Several of the team that triumphed at St Andrews 11 days ago have been the subject of interest from clubs in a
ALL three leaders of the chief political parties on Basingstoke council have confirmed to The Gazette that they will be standing in the borough council elections on June 10. Council leader Cllr Rob Donnelly (Labour), deputy council leader Cllr Brian Gurden
GAZETTE readers are being offered the chance to quiz local politicians in the run-up to June's local elections. Currently, the borough council is finely balanced, with a Labour and Liberal Democrat partnership holding power. The Conservative Party, with
CONSERVATIVE Party boss Dr Liam Fox came to Basingstoke this week and said he was confident the town will remain a Tory seat at the next general election. Dr Fox - one of the party's two national chairmen - spoke at a meeting of the Basingstoke Business
THERE was disappointing attendance for Andover AC's annual trophy presentation at the Crook and Shears in Upper Clatford. Those who failed to attend missed a good night, organised by Tracy Berntsen. Top match angler was Dave Tucker who won the season-long
ELEVEN Andover Wheelers took part in the recent Primera-Bournemouth 2-up and 3-up team time trial, held near Poole in Dorset. The conditions on the day were grim and it was a surprise thet the event went ahead but it did and the Andover teams did quite
Silverstone circuit hosted rounds three and four of the BRSCC Super Coupe Cup, where Ludgershall driver Matt Speakman was keen to extend his class lead in the Rover 216 Gti. In qualifying Speakman was unable to get a clear lap to set a fast time for grid
Last Saturday the Andover Tennis Club held their Road to Wimbledon tournament for U14 girls. It was the first time for many years that the club has had enough girls playing tennis to merit holding such a tournament and the standard of play from all the
IT'S "Ready, Steady Watercress" for youngsters at Sun Hill Junior School in Alresford. TV chef Phil Vickery popped in to serve some organic burgers with watercress, ketchup and salad to celebrate the start of National Watercress Week. Phil - who is married
CITY planners have delayed a decision on the biggest planning applications in Winchester's history saying they need more information about the scheme. Developer CALA Homes wants to build 2,000 homes on land at Barton Farm, north of the city. Hundreds
Andover FC U10 finished a superb season in the Peter Houseman Youth League by winning the Salisbury City FC six-a-sides. On a blistering hot day, Andover played some really attractive passing football and came through the group stages unbeaten with wins
THOUSANDS of residents will be asked if Totton should have its own mayor. Dave Russell, retiring chairman of the town council, said Totton ought to follow the lead of other large parishes and appoint a first citizen. It's the only major New Forest town
FOR many jobseekers, an interview is one of the most daunting experiences they will ever have to face. A successful interview technique is absolutely vital if you want to impress and get that sought-after job. This is why Kelly Services has produced a
A SOUTHAMPTON nurse is today behind bars after defrauding the NHS out of thousands of pounds. Marion McGinnis claimed hundreds of hours of overtime she had not worked as a senior ward nurse at Southampton's Royal South Hants Hospital. At Southampton Crown
DRINKERS in Hampshire will be able to raise an authentic glass of ale when remembering the anniversary of D-Day after a commemorative beer was produced by a Southampton brewery. Bosses at White Star Brewery thought they would mark the 60th anniversary
FRAMED sheet music signed by Oasis star Noel Gallagher is going under the hammer to help fund a cancer information and support centre in Southampton. Featuring the notes to Oasis hit Some Might Say, it is expected to be the star lot in a music memorabilia
DOES your son or daughter have what it takes to be named the top tot in Hampshire? Is your bundle of joy as adorable as last year's beaming winner Chanel Cooper? The Daily Echo's Child of the Year competition, open to youngsters aged up to five, is back
A PIECE of history was made on Thursday when a former Turkish student was officially declared a British citizen at a short ceremony in Andover Register Office. The ceremony, at which 31-year-old Sadik Goktas pledged his allegiance to the Queen, was the
ANDOVER mother Mandy Bulpitt says her son is lucky to be alive after colliding with a car while not wearing his cycle helmet. Gary, aged 15, escaped serious injury when he was involved in the accident on Pilgrims Way, prompting Mrs Bulpitt to urge all
DANEBURY Hill is soon to welcome 80 new sheep to graze the land, keeping back rank grass scrub growth which could threaten the Hill Fort and rare downland flowers. The 85 acre site is home to an Iron Age Hill Fort dating back to 550BC and an area of Special
THE owner of Forget-Me-Knot the horse is unlikely to forget 21 May 2004 for that was the day her horse narrowly escaped death. It all started when the Russian and Dutch warm blood yearling tried to jump over a fence and instead got her rear legs stuck
Bishop's Waltham were comfortable winners when they entertained fellow promotees IBM Hursley at Albany Road on a day when veterans took centre stage. Etienne Rademaker and Tony Adams of IBM and the home side's Ron Harvey all made significant contributions
AN Andover community school teacher fought off competition from 1,500 other entrants to make it to the final six in Channel 4's programme searching for a Bollywood Star. Rivona Essop, aged 23, arrived in Andover two years ago from Durban in South Africa
ONE of the most prestigious award schemes ever centred on the Test Valley was laun-ched in Stockbridge on Tuesday. The Test Valley Business Awards, which aim to highlight and showcase business achievements and excellence across the region, officially
Andy Forbes has won this season's inaugural National Game GLS Merit Award in the inaugural non-league paper national game awards for 2004. The prolific Winchester City striker (picured left) scored a staggering 76-goals for the Sydenhams Wessex League
OBESITY and smoking are among the biggest killers in Fareham and Gosport, a new report has revealed. Four out of ten people in Fareham are overweight or clinically obese - and that figure rises to 50 per cent for the population of Gosport. Deaths from
TWO girls have managed to thwart an attempted abduction in Lee-on-the Solent. The girls, aged 11 and 12, had been walking along Cherque Way on the Cherque Farm estate when they were approached by a man near an alleyway leading into Grayson Close. The
