NEW Bashley signing Simon Arthur is ready to fight David Elm for the right to be the Foresters' first-choice goalkeeper next season.

The ex-England Colleges under-19 international from Sholing has opted to chance his arm with Bash despite interest from Wessex League newcomers Winchester City, where he had done some pre-season training.

His arrival at the Recrea-tion Ground provides competition for former Dorchester keeper Elm, who had been a virtual ever-present in the side since his arrival in Sep-tember last year but missed the showpiece Hampshire Senior Cup final at St Mary's after being hit by a car and damaging his foot and ankle.

Elm is fully recovered and back in training but will find ex-Basingstoke and Fleet keeper Arthur champing at the bit to dislodge him as regular number one.

Bash boss Barry Blankley said: "With any club, you need two quality keepers and, having lost Mike Hookway to Lym-ington & New Milton, we had to bring another one in.

"Simon and Elmo will get equal billing in pre-season and it's up to them to fight it out. Elmo did well last season, but he had no one breathing down his neck."

Blankley had been interested in Arthur going back to his Basingstoke days but, when he quit the Camrose Ground, the youngster chose to link up with ex-Saint Mark Dennis at Fleet. Calamity soon struck, however, when he broke his ankle at Sittingbourne, ruling him out for the season.

Arthur's dad Ron is on the backroom staff at Saints and Blankley revealed: "I knew Ron when I was a 16-year-old at The Dell.

"That was 22 years ago - before Simon was born! Ron was Saints' coach driver then but he's the kitman now."

Dennis, now director of football at Eastleigh, is one of Arthur's biggest fans.

Blankley said: "Mark phoned me and said he rates Simon as one of the top three keepers in the Eastern Division. He comes highly recommended."

Bashley midfielder Graeme Gee has signed a new deal to keep him at the Reacreation Ground for a further two seasons, but two other players are on their way out.

Ex-Havant & Waterlooville midfielder Craig Anstey is thought to be heading for Fleet, now managed by ex-Hawks reserve boss Mick Catlin, and young central defender Paul Sturmey is joining the exodus to Lymington & New Milton.

"At Paul's age, he needs regular first-team football but I think he'd like to be dual-signed with Bashley, which I don't mind," said Blankley.