ROMSEY TOWN may be lagging behind some of their rivals in the quest for promotion, but they certainly made a statement of intent last Saturday, seeing off much-fancied Netley on their own turf by three clear goals. Town were missing John Romero (bereavement
Sheffield Steelers 5, Basingstoke Bison 1 CURTIS Cruickshank had a double success at the annual Bison awards night as he walked away with the Mark Scotchmer Players' Player award and the Supporters Club most valuable player award. The Supporters Club
Havant & Waterlooville have slapped a 'not for sale' sign on their former AFC Bournemouth striker Chukki Eribenne. Steve Claridge's promotion-seeking Weymouth are believed to have offered £8,000 plus two players for Eribenne, pictured, but Hawks boss
WHO would have thought that a remake of the legendary '70s TV show Starsky and Hutch would turn out to be the most romantic movie of the year? Yes, indeedy, it's been a long time since I saw tender glances and sexual tension equivalent to the heat of
BASINGSTOKE Crematorium was badly damaged in a serious fire that required emergency services to be drafted in from across north Hampshire. Fifty firefighters were involved in the effort to tackle the fire, which broke out on Wednesday evening in the roof
Today's Principal Arrivals: Autofreighter, ro/ro, 0100, 201 link; Arklow Faith, general, 0130, 36S; CFF Solent, ro/ro, 0530, 25; CMA CGM Normandie, container, 0715, 205; Hual Trident, ro/ro, am, 43; Nedlloyd Asia, container, 1500, 204; MOL Performance
ONE of the most informed commentators on the south's economy, the Daily Echo's Mike Ford, officially retires today after 43 years with the paper. As regional business editor he gained an intimate insight into the workings of commerce, industry and politics
IAN CALDER admits his pride has taken a battering after his Basingstoke side failed to stay in National League rugby. After a struggling campaign rooted in the drop zone, 'Stoke's 21-20 defeat at Dings Crusaders last weekend effectively sealed their division
A POWERFUL but unconventional love story is set to lure theatregoers into its tangled web at The Nuffield this week. Produced by the Nuffield's own company, Kiss of the Spiderwoman has been an Oscar-winning film and a popular musical, but now returns
For the last quarter-century, Totton Drama Festival has been a showcase for talented young actors. TRACIE BILLINGTON-BEARDSLEY tells us what to expect in this anniversary year... AMATEUR theatre groups across the south are now competing in Stage One of
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Macbeth, Bursledon Players. IT'S mouthful of a title for a play - but this comedy promises an awful lot of laughter too. In this play within a play, The Farndale Avenue
WHOOPS! It took £35m and two years of loving craftsmanship by Hampshire boat builders to create. Just as workmen lovingly went to put the final touches to the world's most expensive private yacht disaster struck. When the Mirabella V was being gently
THE Isle of Wight could stage a second major three-day music festival this summer. An application for an event at Robin Hill Country Park at Arreton in September has been lodged with the Island's council. Behind the application are London-based John Hughes
YOUNGSTERS in Bitterne have been well and truly bitten by the music bug. Children from Bitterne Manor Primary School and Bitterne Park Junior School are among dozens of young music-making groups currently giving Southampton schools a reputation for musical
THE WHEELS on their bikes went round and round for youngsters taking part in a novel fundraising event. Thirty enthusiastic under-fives from the Romsey Centre Pre-School took to anything from a trike to a pram to do sponsored laps of the town's War Memorial
Sheffield Steelers 5, Basingstoke Bison 1 CURTIS Cruickshank had a double success at the annual Bison awards night as he walked away with the Mark Scotchmer Players' Player award and the Supporters Club most valuable player award. The Supporters Club
BASINGSTOKE Town captain Scott Tarr has hit out at renewed criticism of the team following recent poor results. Town are in their worst slump of the season after five successive morale-sapping defeats. The run of adverse results has led to some disparaging
FORMER Team Solent pole vaulter Ashley Swain has thanked the country's Lotto supporters for giving him the chance to pursue his Olympic dream. The 23-year-old from Rownhams hit the headlines last month when he soared to second on the UK's all-time indoor
BASIC mistakes by adults when fitting child seats can kill and injure children, even in low speed crashes, according to new research by The AA Motoring Trust. Tests carried out at just 19mph with seats that had been fitted incorrectly produced results
IF YOU'RE planning a trip to see The Anvil's birthday project All Change!, forget everything that you would expect when you hear the term "community musical". Instead, go along to be - in the words of its director Nick Stimson - "gobsmacked, shocked and
THE London Mozart Players will be at The Anvil in Basingstoke on Thursday, April 22, with conductor and pianist Stephen Kovacevich. Mozart wrote his 25th Symphony at the age of 17 and, despite his young age, this was an important work displaying many
JAPANESE superstar Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano directs and stars in this new martial arts adventure with a difference. Set in 19th century Japan, the film centres on a blind man named Zatoichi (Kitano), who ekes out a meagre living as a masseur. However, his
ONE of the biggest deals in the South of England has been signed for the massive £61million buyout of Robert Dyas, the high-profile chain of garden and home stores that has a shop in Basingstoke. Clive Hatchard and Andrea Errington, of Tenon Corporate
COACH Bryan Musk will be seriously considering insisting that blood donation be an integral part of his team's pre-match build up in future. Following a mass turnout from the club to help the local appeal to find possible donors for the Hartley brothers
Gosport Borough manager Mick Marsh has not thrown in the towel on promotion. After the low of Saturday's 4-3 defeat at Newbury, the Privett Park club were filled with fresh heart by Tuesday's excellent 2-1 result at Portland, Borough, home to rock-bottom
A GRANDMOTHER is furious after thieves stole her purse while she held a car boot sale to pay off the vet's bill for her grandson's pet rabbit. Valerie Chapman, from Pamber Heath, had laid the purse on top of her car while she set up her stall at Fort
INCREASED production of bank notes for post-war Iraq has prompted a Hampshire security printer to raise market expectations for full-year results. De La Rue has never disclosed the size or value of the Iraq contract but told investors that its currency
Hundreds of children were left disappointed after fire damaged a play centre. Dozens of parties had to be cancelled this week at Serendipity Sam's in Greatbridge Road at Romsey. The building caught fire at around 8.30pm on Saturday. Area manager, Rob
LOVE conquers all, supposedly, but can it survive without language? That's the question posed by Children of a Lesser God, Mark Medoff's powerful modern drama now being revived by Salisbury Playhouse. The play follows the relationship between Sarah, a
STAR Trek meets Shakespeare in this unusual tale performed by Southampton's Gantry Youth Theatre. In a world gone mad, where everything is stuck on hold, the weather has gone wild and so have young people. That's when Ronan, a latterday Richard the Third
FAMOUS Southampton landmarks are to be snapped up for paper money - after the city beat Portsmouth to win its own Monopoly game. Just two days before Saints take on Pompey at Fratton Park, games bosses have announced Southampton has trounced its south
HUNDREDS of jobs will be created by a new power station on the western shores of Southampton Water, the Daily Echo can reveal. About 400 people will be employed on the construction of the gas-fired complex and a further 40 staff will run the facility
PUB landlords are ignoring police advice to close early in advance of Sunday's Pompey versus Saints game, the Daily Echo can reveal. The five pubs closest to the ground are remaining open throughout the day, adding to fears there could be alcohol-related
PARENTS worried that Southamp-ton education bosses might shut their school planted apple trees in its grounds in the hope gener-ations of future pupils could enjoy the fruit. The poignant gesture comes as city leaders weigh up whether to close Moorlands
STUDENTS at Southampton's Regents Park Girls' School were searching for a scoop as they battled to produce an entire newspaper in one day. The young news-hounds came up with Pupil's Eye as their entry in an international school paper competition called
HE is a soldier on a money-making mission. And the inspiration for Steve Yendell's fundraising drive is his youngest son. When Darrell Yendell was born with kidney problems that would need years of hospital visits to conquer, Steve pledged to make a difference
SOUTHAMPTON teacher Carol Bradwell has never run a marathon before. But that is not stopping her running through the capital's streets in aid of the Hampshire Autistic Society. The 54-year-old of Meadowhead Road, Bassett, is in serious training for the
THE summer of 1944 saw Southampton at the heart of the biggest military invasion the world had ever seen as the D-Day invasion gained a foothold on the beaches of Normandy. From there allied forces pushed inland as more and more troops, vehicles and equipment
IT'S HARDLY rock 'n' roll but Fran Healy, lead singer of Scottish super-band Travis, is losing his hair. The front-man has been trying to hide his thinning locks with a string of outlandish haircuts and colour treatments for years. But on his latest trip
THE Sugababes are definitely doing something right. Sexy, sassy, clued-up and switched on, the kids love 'em, the serious rock critics chew their pencils and waffle on about them being 'the sound of multicultural Britain' and everyone else deliriously
ONE of the country's most innovative and original musicians is in Southampton this weekend. Steve Hackett, a former member of Genesis and a massively talented guitarist, singer and composer has explored many facets of music since leaving the band in to
ERNIE Howe is backing his Basingstoke Town side to emerge from their current slump because he believes they have been playing well without getting their just rewards. An inconsistent Ryman premier league campaign has brought a disappointing five-match
THE Webbers Land Rover appeal to raise money for the Born Free Foundation has met with such a tremendous response that it has helped provide two vehicles to the wildlife charity. More than £619 was raised by the public in a foreign coin collection, as
THE Rock 'n' Roll Thunder show, featuring tributes to Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Billy Fury and the Everley Brothers, comes to Cricklade Theatre, Andover, on March 27. Also featured on the bill is Wee Willie Harris who had several hits himself in the
BASINGSTOKE sporting award-winners are aiming to grab more glory for themselves and the town and borough at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Awards. Next Wednesday's glittering evening will see the cream of sportsmen and women from across the county gather
IT'S NOT just sleeping dogs that you should let lie - old TV series could do with being left alone too. Ben Stiller, who plays dark-haired Starsky, says this film isn't a spoof but that he isn't quite sure what it is and that's the trouble with it. Starsky
DIRECTOR-ACTOR Kevin Costner returns to the western genre for this gun-slinging drama based on the novel by Lauran Paine, adapted for the screen by Craig Storper. Like many of his films, Open Range is beautifully crafted and the pedestrian pacing affords
Films showing in the Hampshire region until 25th March. 21 GRAMS (15): An absorbing and powerful drama about life and death which sees a freak accident bring together a grieving mother, a critically-ill man and a born-again ex-con. ALONG CAME POLLY (12A
JOB creation is the name of the game as one of Europe's leading specialist retailers gears up to relocate its headquarters from Bracknell to Basingstoke. GAME, the computer software and video games company, is holding a recruitment day at the Apollo Hotel
HOUSING and Planning Minister Keith Hill officially opened a flagship development in Basingstoke this week. Croudace Homes' Sherfield Park will eventually bring around 800 new homes to the residential property market in a specially-designed scheme to
THE Old School House in the rural hamlet of Ashe is appealing to local buyers in the Basingstoke area as it markets through agents Knight Frank with a price guide of £295,000. The Victorian building dates back to 1873 and the accommodation features picture
THE garden of a chalet-style home within a mile of Basingstoke's town centre has a wooded area to give it a more rural feel. The detached home (pictured above) is in Upper Chestnut Drive and has come to the market with estate agents Carson and Company
