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GOLF has a nasty habit of slapping you in the face and Justin Rose received a stinging blow just three holes into the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth yesterday. England's new number one from Hampshire was on a high after his brilliant third-place

John Crawley scored his first hundred of a miserable last season with Lancashire in the Roses clash at Headingley. "It's one of my favourite hunting grounds," he said as he prepared for a return to county action after his first Test appearance in three

THE CROWDS turned out in force as thousands of people flocked to enjoy all the fun of the fair at the eighth annual Popley Festival. The event, in the grounds of John Hunt of Everest Community School, was organised by locals to raise money for Popley-based

LAST-MINUTE preparations are under way for the opening of Basingstoke's £10.7million Aquadrome. Lifeguards, fitness instructors and cleaners are busy training and polishing the state-of-the-art centre in the West Ham Leisure Park, for its first day of

The Citizens of the Year competition - organised by The Gazette and Safeway - was launched earlier this year and the response was incredible. Entries flooded in for the five categories - Teacher of the Year, Good Neighbour, Most Courageous Child, Beyond

RESIDENTS in four roads in the Basingstoke area are set to be in a real party mood after getting the go-ahead to hold a Golden Jubilee street celebration. Households in the borough will be trimming the hedges, emptying the bins and finishing the decorating

A PENSIONER has said she is willing to come to the aid of "Wote Street Willy" - the controversial sculpture the council is thinking of moving because it doesn't fit in with the new Festival Place shopping centre. Phyllis Ferguson, 71, says she likes it

BASINGSTOKE council has successfully prosecuted seven people for fraudulently claiming housing and council tax benefit in the last three months - and a further 16 cases are in the pipeline. Council leader Brian Gurden revealed the news at the latest council

A POPULAR postman could have a street named after him in Basingstoke if a grateful couple get their way. The idea is the brainchild of Katy and John Pearson, who live in Bridge House, off Harrow Way, where a new development is taking place. John said

CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to fight a shock decision to close arson-hit Beech Down Primary School in Basingstoke. Hampshire education chief Don Allen yesterday ignored county council recommendations and said that the Brighton Hill school will be closed in

Southampton sailing stalwart Stuart Danby showed his boat was aptly named when he won the third Class 1 race of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club's Twilight series last weekend on his Corby 25 Respect. In a south-easterly breeze of around eight knots and

One of the Solent's most prized racing boats, Leopard, will be out of action for five months while repairs are made to her broken rudder and ravaged hull. The 90-foot yacht, which was built in Southampton in 1999 at a cost of £1.5m, was abandoned 600

Today's Principal Arrivals: Braemar, cruise ship, 0630, 40/41; Victoria, cruise ship, 0645, 38/9; Autosky, ro/ro, 0800, 201 link; Eufonia, ro/ro, 0930, 102; Frisiana, general, 1400, 33; Funchal, cruise ship, 2330, 105; Asian Emperor, ro/ro, PM, 43; Tinka

AFC Hatch Warren under-12s have just completed an outstanding football season. They secured the under-12 premiership title in the Peter Houseman League, winning by four clear points. In their 20 league matches they lost just once. On top of this they

HARTLEY WINTNEY have acted quickly to replace manager Mick Woollen after his shock resignation this week. Last season's reserve boss Geoff Holman has taken up the challenge with the Combined Counties League club. It ended Woollen's two-year spell at Hartley

Justin Rose this week became England's highest-ranked player and is hoping to celebrate his achievement with a place in the US Open. Rose (pictured) soared 19 places to 62 in the world after finishing third in the Deutsche Bank Open in Germany on Monday

JOE Pasquale is a lot like Marmite - you either love him or hate him, there's nothing in between. Although his 'high on helium' brand of comedy isn't for everyone, he has a large and devoted following, selling out theatres all round the country. Joe will

IF YOU'RE lonesome tonight, instead of taking a walk down Lonely Street to Heartbreak Hotel, head for the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. Local Elvis fan and King impersonator Steve Rowley will be getting audiences all shook up when he takes them on

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The workforce at GKN Aerospace Services at East Cowes, Isle of Wight has been dealt another body blow with the announcement that 134 more jobs are to go. There will be 99 new redundancies and 35 held back from the shedding of 650 jobs by the company earlier

THE decision to cut some 10,000 chiropody patients from the podiatry service in Hampshire has come under fire from a local MP. Earlier this week the Daily Echo, pictured below, revealed how a review of podiatry services across Portsmouth and south-east

EDUCATION bosses are investigating why a Hampshire boy has lost nearly a year's schooling after being barred from lessons. Worried parents Gordon and Sally Hine of Terrier Close, Hedge End, say they are desperate for their 13-year-old son Ashley to continue

JOHN Katzenbach's best-selling novel provides the inspiration for Gregory Hoblit's thriller, set amid the devastation of the Second World War. Lieutenant Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell) has enjoyed a privileged upbringing, and thanks to his father's political

The last time striker Brian Green had an Eastleigh Football Club haircut, it was when he was larking around with his teammates on the ferry back from the Isle of Wight. This week he was still smiling as Ten Acres chairman Roger Sherwood sheared away his

HUNDREDS of people were on the run in Hook at the weekend - but it was all for a good cause. The 11th annual Hook Fun Run and Road Race has been hailed "a resounding success" by its organisers. Runners from the village and beyond pounded the hot streets

WOMEN from Basingstoke and beyond traded in their Daihatsus for double-decker buses over the weekend - all in the name of charity. The ladies left their everyday cars behind to gather at RAF Odiham for a weekend drive with a difference. The Ladies Driving

CHARITY shop workers have spoken of their concern over the way their premises have become a dumping ground for unwanted items and a target for pilferers. The retail outlet in Chineham which supports St Michael's Hospice has been targeted by yobs who have

FOURTEEN ladies from in and around Hartley Wintney donned the lingerie of the long-distance runner and set off through London at midnight in a madcap charity walk. The Playtex Moonwalk involved 10,000 men and women who completed full and half-marathons

HEADTEACHERS in the Basingstoke area have said they will consider showing pupils a harrowing video about a tragic young heroin addict in a bid to deter them from taking drugs. Rachel's Story, a video produced by the parents of Hereford girl Rachel Whitear

Ben Ainslie continues his bid to make a mark on the Finn Olympic fleet at the SPA Regatta in Medemblik, Holland this week and after day one, he was lying in a creditable fifth place. The first day saw light but shifty breezes and some torrential rain,

Young Lymington talent Richard Mason was the outstanding performer at last week's Volvo Musto Optimist Inland Championship at Datchet Water Sailing Club near Slough. Recently selected as one of five sailors to represent Great Britain this year at the

BASINGSTOKE and North Hants have an injury crisis ahead of a busy weekend as they travel to High Wycombe tomorrow before facing visitors Hungerford on Sunday. The hopes of Basingstoke finally kick-starting their league campaign have been given a major

Basingstoke Bison Ladies 2, Romford 2 BISON Ladies left it late to thrill their biggest crowd of the season as they clinched the league crown on Sunday night against visiting Romford. The Wella-backed side scored the all-important equalising goal 74 seconds

Winchester League 0, Basingstoke League 2 BASINGSTOKE won back the Dick Raynbird Memorial Cup at Chilcomb last Friday night but it was never easy with the home side having plenty of the ball. The first real chance came in the 19th minute when a good pass

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WIRED Wessex, the regional network which promotes and supports companies working in the fields of new media, has appointed a new chairman. Frank Colson, founder of MacKenzie Ward Research, a Winchester-based new media company, has taken the appointment

EMO Philips may have lost his bobbed haircut but his comedy is as surreal and razor-sharp as ever. Now spiky-haired and more grungy-looking, Emo is back in Britain on his first tour since the early nineties. But although he may have been out of the limelight

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REGARDED as one of Europe's finest chamber orchestras, The London Mozart Players visit Portsmouth Guildhall under well-known flautist and conductor Sir James Galway. Founded in 1949 by Harry Blech, the outstanding quality of the London Mozart Players'

SOME artists just seem to have it all - and Jewel is certainly one of them. As well as being stunningly attractive, 27 year-old Alaska-born Jewel Kilcher has the kind of voice that most people can only dream of. Jewel's date at Portsmouth Guildhall is

BRITAIN'S top junior Robert Tobin is in the mood to lower his 400 metres personal best at the South of England Under-20 Championships at Watford this weekend. But he admits that to bring down last season's outdoor mark of 47.1 seconds, he will need to

Neal McDonald's Assa Abloy leaves La Rochelle tomorrow with one aim in mind - to beat the Volvo Ocean Race leaders Illbruck Challenge in the tricky 1,075-mile obstacle course to Gothenburg. Assa lies just eight points behind the German boat with two legs

Saints star Francis Benali has admitted he would consider a coaching role at the club he has served for 14 years - but for now is focusing on getting back in the first team. Southampton-born Benali, 33, has only left the club for a brief stint on loan

WRITER-director Frank Darabont had the Midas touch - everything he touched turned to box office gold. His first two pictures, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, delighted audiences and were justly showered with Oscar nominations. Alas, Darabont's

THUNDERPANTS is a gas - methane to be exact, because Peter Hewitt's sweet yet slight family comedy is the story of a young boy with the gift of flatulence. The film is - by its very design - one protracted fart gag, but there's a sweetness to many of