Bournemouth have landed a major eve-of-season coup by signing Hampshire's highly-rated South African batting star Jono McLean. The 24-year old Western Province B batsman will make his ECB Southern Electric Premier League debut against BAT Sports tomorrow
HAVING never heard the true story behind this film, or seen the 1979 original, I was expecting the usual scares, mostly aided by sudden jumps in the music rather than much happening on screen. And since I wasn't expecting to be particularly rattled -
A SERIAL arsonist who was behind a bomb hoax drama at The Anvil in Basingstoke has had his jail sentence cut after appeal judges heard he has become a model prisoner. Robert Boyd-Stevenson, 27, sparked a major police operation in the town centre in October
SCOUTS from across Basingstoke turned out in force to celebrate St George's Day with a parade through the town centre on Sunday afternoon. About 300 Scouts, Explorer Scouts, Sea Scouts, Air Scouts, Guides, Cubs and Beavers from the Basingstoke East District
A SPECIAL event for a Basingstoke housing association was held in honour of a double celebration. A plaque was unveiled at Kingfisher Housing Association's latest development to mark the retirement of its long-standing chairman. Richard Smith Wright,
HSBC chief economist Dennis Turner had 350 of the south's leading businessmen and women spellbound during a unique conference on board Queen Mary 2 in Southampton. His insights about the UK economy, punctuated with quips and comic asides, captivated the
HSBC chief economist Dennis Turner had 350 of the south's leading businessmen and women spellbound during a unique conference on board Queen Mary 2 in Southampton. His insights about the UK economy, punctuated with quips and comic asides, captivated the
Hampshire kick-off their Twickenham-bound challenge in the County Championship Plate competition tomorrow but they are sorely understrength for the visit of neighbours Dorset & Wiltshire. With Portsmouth involved in the league play-off, Newbury still
At least two former world darts champions will be on the oche in the increasingly popular Daily Echo Hampshire Open next week. Southampton's Les Wallace, Embassy world champion in 1997, has promised to defend the title he won last year but two times world
RURAL post offices have been put on high alert after a large sum of cash was stolen at Sherfield English. Police believe Monday afternoon's incident at the post office and stores is linked to similar incidents in Hampshire and Wiltshire. Police say a
POLICE have appealed for witnesses following an attack at Chilworth which left a 58-year-old woman in need of stitches to a gash in her head. She was walking to work at around 5.30am on Sunday, near to the rear of the Clock Service Station, when she heard
THE former home of one of Britain's greatest cartoonists is set to be replaced by a new building near the River Test at Timsbury - but the studio where he created some of his greatest work is to be retained. Test Valley Borough Council's Southern area
CAMPAIGNERS have scored a major victory in their fight to reduce fatal crashes on the A3057 around King's Somborne. Hampshire's road chiefs have agreed to a raft of improvements in a bid to slow down speeding motorists and make the A3057 between Stockbridge
WINCHESTER's new multi-million pound library has passed a major hurdle. Planning permission has been agreed by the county council's regulatory committee. Building work could start this summer, once listed building consent is approved by the government
FORMER commoners' leader Richard Manley has taken the reins of an influential new body created to safeguard and support the traditional life and landscape of the New Forest. After standing down last month after five years as chairman of the Commoners
HAMPSHIRE countryside campaigners are calling for open land between Winchester and Basingstoke to be designated as a strategic development gap. The Dever Society's call comes in its official response to the consultation on the draft South East Plan, the
ANDOVER is to get a new 650-seat, four-screen cinema together with an ASDA supermarket in a £20 million deal. The new complex will be in Anton Mill and the cinema will be operated by Curzon Leisure. The development is likely to generate about 500 new
A woman in the company of a young boy tried to con two elderly men in their own homes on Monday evening. In the first incident, in Ludger-shall's Lady Diana Court, the woman knocked on the door of a man at about 8.15pm and asked whether he had any flowers
FOLLOWING last year's successful launch another Andover Reminiscence day was staged recently. Held at St Ann's Hall in Suffolk Road, it gave an opportunity for young and old to recount their experiences. Students from Harrow Way Community School attended
THE Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop will be going back 60 years to 1945 on 27 May when it hosts a street party for 50 veterans and 380 children from five local primary schools. The idea for the street party came about after the museum was approached
TIDWORTH'S ambition to have a new all singing all dancing community centre is likely to be assisted by a change in government policy that requires local authorities to provide access to childcare centres by 2008, a meeting in Tidworth heard. Child Development
FEW singer-songwriters possess the hauntingly beautiful voice that Welsh songstress Amy Wadge does. Hailed the new Jodi Mitchel, Amy plays a one-off gig at The Anvil in Basingstoke tonight in support of her new album, WOJ. Born in the village of Backwell
YOU might not of heard of Rachel More yet, but trust What's On, you soon will. The Bournemouth-born jazz singer is already a huge success story in Japan where her debut album, All My Tomorrows, has been a massive hit. And if recent sales figures in London
A CHARLTON landlord and two friends who ran the London Marathon have been totting up their charity winnings - a massive £7,100. A brainwave in the bar led to a first and last London Marathon for Royal Oak landlord Pete Cadman and two of his regulars,
THE Futureheads play a sell-out gig at the Pyramid Centre in Portsmouth on Thursday as part of their UK tour. The Sunderland post-punk four piece shot to fame earlier this year with their blissfully originally cover of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love. There's
SOUTHAMPTON'S The Warm made the most of a chance meeting with Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles recently. The guys bumped into the station's breakfast show host on a trip to Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire and handed him one of their CDs. He said he'd give it a listen
RED Hot Rhythm & Blues, with The Manfreds, plus special guest Paul Young, will be at The Anvil on Thursday, May 5, from 7.45pm. Paul Jones, Mike d'Abo, Tom McGuinness and the band present the hits of The Manfreds, including Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Mighty
DEDICATED to the memory of its creator, Douglas Adams, who shares a screenwriting credit with Karey Kirkpatrick, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is an energetic tribute to the great man and his zany imagination. Unfortunately, for all its visual
xXx 2: The Next Level is dumb with a capital duh. The plot makes no sense, least of all the characters, led by Ice Cube and Samuel L Jackson, who herald each overblown set piece by making some huge leap of illogic or suddenly remembering a vital piece
THIS is an animated feature aimed exclusively at a very young audience. Based on Norman Bridewell's popular picture books, which have been translated into an animated television series, this first big screen outing for the loveable red dog is inoffensive
1 - The Interpreter (12A) Nicola Kidman stars in this high-octane thriller as Silvia Broome, a brilliant interpreter who is taken into protective custody after over hearing a possible assassination attempt of an African leader. Pop Corn Rating: 4/5. 2
THE Corn Exchange, in Newbury, hosts the world premiere of Taking Flight, an aerial dance, on Thursday, May 5, at 7.45pm. Taking Flight, by Gravity & Levity, fuses three live pieces of aerial dance with three short films to create an intimate and
THEY were about to embark on the climb of their lives but these intrepid fundraisers still found time to express their support to the Save the Hythe Ferry campaign. Sonja Davison and several other supporters of the Jubilee Sailing Trust are backing the
IT IS a notoriously busy road that cost one resident his life when he tried to cross it earlier this year. Now people campaigning for a safer crossing on the A326 in Dibden Purlieu are concerned about the inevitable rise in traffic if the Hythe Ferry
THE Stroud School U11 Girls Hockey Team represented Hampshire in the South Girls tournament at Woking recently, and are now set to represent the South of England at the National finals in Nottingham on 15th May. The girls won matches against St Andrews
AFTER only picking up one point from their previous three matches, Mottisfont returned to winning ways with a narrow home victory over Stockbridge on Saturday. There was little to separate the two sides, with Font's winning goal coming from the penalty
HAMPTWORTH Golf and Country Club is launching a new Ladies Masters Golf class on May 8 to introduce more women to the game. PGA professional Katie Dawkins will be running the six-week course, which teaches basic golfing skills to get more women hitting
EASTLEIGH are in the enviable position of being able to rest most of their first-team squad for tomorrow's final league game of the season at relegated Dover. With Paul Doswell's side untouchable in third place and highly unlikely to improve to second
BASHLEY are in the hunt for a new chairman following confirmation that Gary Parsons will not be seeking re-election this summer. Parsons, who runs a busy haulage business in nearby Barton-on-Sea, says he no longer has the time to devote to the job. As
We all know the "Staying up with Harry and Jim" song by now, but over on the east side of Southampton the chant has been slightly different. "Staying up with Danny and Jim" is the dressing room favourite at Hamble ASSC, who are fighting tooth and nail
NEIL Hards has too much respect for Gosport Borough to believe the Sydenhams Wessex League championship race is done and dusted. Although it's easy to say that leaders Lymington & New Milton have only got to beat Gosport tomorrow to claim a fifth
Shane Watson has dropped a large hint that he could be returning to Hampshire this summer. The Australian all-rounder told the Daily Echo earlier this year that he wasn't expecting another stint at the Rose Bowl after impressing last year. But Shane Warne
THEY may be fighting each other on various fronts in the battle for votes in Basingstoke, but candidates from the three main political parties stood together behind a campaign calling for better child protection services. The National Society for the
Today's Principal Arrivals: : Autofreighter, roro, 0200, 201; CFF Seine, roro, 0615, 30; Queen Elizabeth 2, passenger, 0645, 38/9; Undine, roro, 0715, 34/35; CEC Fighter, bulk, 0930, rlc4; Jingu Maru, vehicle, 1130, 40; CMA CGM Bellini, container, 1830
HSBC chief economist Dennis Turner had 350 of the south's leading businessmen and women spellbound during a unique conference on board Queen Mary 2 in Southampton. His insights about the UK economy, punctuated with quips and comic asides, captivated the
GREEN and anti-smoking campaigners have accused Southampton's cigarette group British American Tobacco of using charitable donations and self-regulation to win political support. Friends of the Earth claimed BAT had tried to use corporate-giving programmes
After being perennial mid-table finishers, Sandown & Shanklin go into tomorrow's Hampshire-Surrey Division One play-off looking to become the first club from the Isle of Wight in the London Leagues. It has been a dramatic turnaround for the Hurricanes
URGENT funding is needed to ensure Romsey's poor sighted don't become housebound. That's the message from Romsey and Waterside Visually Impaired Group's secretary Diane Dawkins. Diane said members rely on fundraising to provide cash for transportation
If the people of Romsey were surprised to see the national flag of Italy flying alongside those of St George and the Union Jack at the Town Hall last weekend, it was because the Italians were in town. A high-powered delegation from Treviglio accompanied
The people of the Romsey area have helped and supported our hospital for more than 100 years. The Romsey Advertiser has always chronicled their interest and generosity. It would be astonishing if the NHS Primary Care Trust now let all this go for nothing
A WINCHESTER pub has become the first in the city to go smoke-free. From Sunday, the Green Man in Southgate Street will ban puffing within the premises. Those who cannot resist the lure of a sly cigarette will be banished outside to the pub's courtyard
A MUM fears her eight-year-old son will be confined to a wheelchair if new treatment is withdrawn through lack of funding. Cerebral palsy sufferer James McGinley is testing a special lycra suit that enables him to play on the floor without dislocating
POLICE are warning New Forest residents to be on their guard after a man was arrested on suspicion of trying to scam people for sponsorship money. The suspect is believed to have been operating door-to-door in the Totton area for some time. Police believe
WITH English spoken throughout the majority of the developed world, the traditional assumption that Britons simply don't need to bother learning an additional language is deeply ingrained. However, with the Government's decision, last September, to allow
WEAR your colours with pride and get behind the Saints. That's the rallying call to fans across the county as Harry Redknapp's red and white army face one of the most important games in their history tomorrow. The team take on fellow Premiership strugglers
IT'S one of the biggest matches in Saints' proud history. With just three games remaining in the football season, Harry Redknapp's men currently sit bottom of the Premiership table. However there is still hope that the red and white army could pull off
A BUNGLING burglar who was locked inside a New Forest petrol station when an attempted raid went wrong has been jailed for three years. Hooded Mark Thorneycroft targeted the Hucklesbrook service station in Fordingbridge on January 21, when a night duty
A GROUP of Hampshire schoolchildren are appealing for help to raise a massive £25,000 to get them to the world's most prestigious steel band event this summer. Sounds of Steel, a much-acclaimed steel band based in Portchester, have been invited to take
INTEREST in politics is alive and well in Winchester with a packed debate by the general election candidates at a city church. About 250 people squeezed into the meeting to hear the views of the five candidates on Wednesday evening. The five candidates
ELECTION fever is sweeping the campus at Fair Oak's Wyvern College of Technology. Soon students will be pouring through the college's general election style polling booths to cast their votes. The candidates, who are year eight students, are Joseph Bennet
CAMPAIGNERS in one of Hampshire's newest villages have begun a petition to prevent their dogs being banned from a popular recreation ground. Dozens of people have already added their signatures and the number of concerned families in Whiteley is increasing
A FOOTPATH that runs along a disused Hampshire railway line has been extended, thanks to a group of volunteers. They have cleared undergrowth that was blocking the former track bed between Crow Lane, Ringwood, and nearby Barrack Lane. Members of the Ringwood
AFRICA was on the minds of those taking part in a celebrity soccer game in St Mary Bourne on Sunday morning. A team of television folk made up of BBC sports presenters took on a village side in the match to help fund a trip to Uganda. The team was put
AFRICA was on the minds of those taking part in a celebrity soccer game in St Mary Bourne on Sunday morning. A team of television folk made up of BBC sports presenters took on a village side in the match to help fund a trip to Uganda. The team was put
A FRESH set of traffic lights will be installed at the entrance to a new industrial estate after parish councillors in Ludgershall withdrew their opposition to them at a special meeting on Friday afternoon. The councillors had voiced their objection to
MUD-SPLATTERED young rugby players emerged equally victorious from a clash of the Titans-style competition between Andover schools. The inter-school tournament, featuring six secondary schools from the area, was held at Andover Rugby Club's Goodship Ground
AN elderly Andover couple who were rescued from a blaze at their River Way home are said to be making good progress in hospital. Pensioners Maria and Thomas O'Callaghan, of Bourne Court, were both admitted to hospital after the blaze, suffering from burns
A SERVICE of thanksgiving and remembrance to commemorate VE Day has been organised by the Andover Branch of the Royal British Legion. It will be held in the Garden of Remembrance at St Mary's Parish Church, Andover on 8 May at 12.15pm. A parade of ex-service
EVERYONE knows the 60s was the archetypal decade for music with bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones shaping the future of the charts for years to come. And four of the decade's biggest bands are coming to The Mayflower on Thursday as part of
FEARS are growing that Andover Museum may close when Hampshire County Council opens its new Discovery Centres in the town. Members of Andover History and Archaeology Society say that the opening of the very popular Discovery Centre in Gosport has resulted
SIXTIES blues legends The Yardbirds have given birth to some of the greatest British blues guitarists of all time including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. In their latest guise the band plays The Brook in Southampton tonight(Friday 29th) bashing
DOCTOR David Wilson swapped his stethoscope for a spade to mark the start of work on Hamble's new state-of-the-art surgery. The surgery in Satchell Lane, due to open in March 2006, will be a one-stop shop for local health services, providing twice the
Expert doubtful on timetable for new allotments space SCORES of Eastleigh allotment gardeners having to quit their plots to make way for a housing development could be left leaning on their spades, a inquiry has heard. Civic chiefs had hoped that the
DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM says Saints must have "all guns blazing" against Norwich - and has rubbished doubts surrounding the heart and character of the team. Saints' perilous position at the bottom of the table makes tomorrow's St Mary's showdown - billed as
SAINTS legend Terry Paine has identified Peter Crouch as the only man who can preserve the club's proud 27-year top flight status. Crouch was injured in the warm-up at Fratton Park last Sunday and missed the 4-1 thrashing that cast fresh doubts over Saints
Harry Redknapp faces an anxious wait to see whether he will be without injured strikers Peter Crouch and Henri Camara for tomorrow's massive relegation battle with Norwich. The Saints boss has been forced to recall Brett Ormerod and Dexter Blackstock
THE family hatch sector is bursting with new models and the terrific cars in the group - Focus, Astra, Golf - make it a tough call for anyone wanting a small family car. While the new Ford Focus slugs it out with the Vauxhall Astra for the top sales spot
A VICTORIAN village school-master's house is a character buy on the spring residential property market. The Old School House is in Ramsdell, and the next-door school has also been converted into a private home. Decorative brickwork and a pretty gabled
