TODAY most of the people who take a stroll along Southampton's London Road are there to look for a new home, as the street is well known for its large number of estate agents but there was a time when it was all very different. Two world wars, bombing
The British have always had a soft spot for eccentrics and if they also left behind a folly such as the ones that dot the Hampshire landscape as a legacy for future generations then so much the better. Luttrell's Tower near Calshot stands in the grounds
I never cease to be amazed at the willingness of ex-pros to help out with charities. This week saw the second celebrity golf challenge in my name, held at the marvellous East Horton Golf Centre, whose owners, the Bastion family, went out of their way
In a busy week of functions, the PFA Awards evening was a chance to meet many old friends. It is a long evening in so far as the teams of the year from every division are announced and of course the major awards of young player and senior player.
It's certainly been a week for miracles. In my case it all started last Saturday in the bright sunshine when at the request of one my old players, Manny Andruszewski, along with MP Sandra Gidley, I helped launch Making Miracles Childcare Ltd for his
About 15 years ago Jack Charlton and I were strolling the touchline of a quaint little ground in Cork, Republic of Ireland, with a massive slope from one end to the other. We hadn't seen each other for a while but had to stop our eager conversation
While praising Alan Shearer, a little word for another ex-player in Nick Holmes, who deserves congratulations on getting Salisbury City promoted. Supporters can applaud him when he joins the other 12 surviving Cup final players at the reunion next
There is more than enough youth and experience in the England squad to make a huge impact on this summer's World Cup finals. The arrival of British summertime has whetted the appetite for a competition that is all the more exciting because it is in
When the late, great Peter Osgood was dismissed from his matchday job at St Mary's earlier this season, the statement from the club representative said the club had a responsibility to the supporters in the lounges to ensure maximum 'quality and value
They say things come in threes and sadly following on from the passing of two great sporting legends - David Miller from the world of golf and then Ossie - we in Hampshire were rocked by the news of the death of the wonderful Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie
Nearly 40 years ago my dear friend, the late, great Jock Stein brought Britain's first European trophy home when his Lisbon Lions beat Inter Milan. About 20 years ago I was asked to attend a reunion of that famous Celtic team in Scotland. My wife and
On a recent visit back to my native north-east, I joined one of my oldest friends in his fortnightly ritual. It started on Friday lunchtime when he met up with five friends. For anyone who remembers the old Quayside with its factories, workshops
I'm often asked these days to help out at fundraising events to enable the supporters to erect a statue to dear old Ted Bates. Like most supporters, I've been more than a bit interested in the shenanigans between Pompey and Saints over the last couple
As I mentioned last week, I was recently in Trinidad for an FA conference. But please don't think for one moment I was basking in the sunshine. Hot it certainly was, but my four-day trip was conducted totally inside either a hotel or conference
ONE HUNDRED and eleven years ago a youngster called Charlie Miller went back to his family home in Brazil, took a couple of footballs and introduced the South Americans to the game. Three months ago another young fella from Middlesbrough arrived in
Last weekend I attended a charity function in Newcastle for the NSPCC. One of their patrons up there is Alan Shearer. I had watched him play in the afternoon against Birmingham, despite the fact that he was going to Germany on the Monday to have
THE Mayor of Test Valley's Charity Golf Day took place at a very sunny Wellow Golf Club recently. Valley Leisure ran the event, the charitable company that operates the Borough's Leisure Centres, and the lead sponsor was Ace Liftaway. More than 70 generous
WORKERS at NTL's offices in Hook will keep their jobs despite drastic cutbacks by the company - and the size of the workforce at the north Hampshire headquarters is actually likely to grow. This week, NTL announced thousands of positions will be cut or
WEDNESDAY could be D-Day for two Hampshire adventurers as they reach the climax of their epic challenges. Mountaineer Rhys Jones will be bidding to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 17, the date of his 20th birthday. The New Forest teenager is
AN investigation was continuing today into allegations that Army recruits were forced to inhale CS gas at a Hampshire base. A video obtained by a national newspaper shows soldiers apparently being placed into a sealed chamber while onlookers laugh and
THE Rotary Club of Southampton will be holding its eighth annual Solent Gardeners' Fayre and Craft event on June 4 at the Southampton University's sports ground in Wide Lane, Eastleigh. Open from 10am to 5pm, it being held in aid of Rotary charities and
SOCIAL services bosses in Southampton have launched a new journal aimed at spreading the word about services on offer for young people and families across the city. The publication, entitled 'Making a Difference' highlights innovative projects and partnerships
THE young people of Fareham are being given the opportunity to decide whether the borough is a safe and healthy place to live. Questionnaires have been sent to youngsters and leaders of youth groups, as well as to all schools for teachers' feedback on
TEAM Southampton finished seventh in their opening British Men's League Division 3 fixture at Rugby, but there were some bright spots. This season the league have introduced a £100 prize for man-of-the-match and discus thrower Nick Iliffe came close to
THE Tuesday Club: Meets at Heath End Hall on Tuesday, between 2pm and 4pm, for their monthly get-together. If you need transport, call Margaret Bushell on 0118 9812787. MISS Polly's Kindergarten: Which is situated at The Hurst Community College in Brimpton
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Please renew your subscriptions for the "100 Club", which are now due. If you do not intend to renew please inform Anita or Betty. CLIDDESDEN Community Conservation Group: Members and non-members interested in receiving information about
ROYAL visit: The Ladies Club are organising a trip to Buckingham Palace on Saturday, September 23. Phone Doreen, on 381652, if you would like to go. She needs confirmation and money by Friday, May 19. HORTICULTURAL Society: The plant sale was well supported
CLEANING crews are gearing up to blitz the area of Mansbridge during the 15th Crime Reduction and Environment Week (CREW) starting today. It will be a bumper week for activities, ranging from fun sports and community events to rubbish clearance and graffiti
DYB dyb dyb... many thanks to the intrepid parents, Cubs and Beavers who turned up on Saturday morning for the annual spring clean at The Den. The weather wasn't great but your efforts were! The working party was followed by the AGM, at which time a new
Sir.-I would sincerely like to thank all the residents of Hatch Warren and Beggarwood for their support during the recent election campaign. It is an honour to serve you all and we have much work to do, especially in the new estates on Beggarwood, to
Sir.-I would like to thank all the nurses and staff on the neo-natal ward at Basingstoke hospital. We are now blessed with a little boy (Kieran), who was born on March 13 this year, after a preg-nancy which ended earlier than expected and took us all
Sir.-I would like to appeal to all those people living in the Basing-stoke area who know what happened on October 28, 1664, to contact me with a view to them joining the Basingstoke branch of the Royal Marines Association. We meet at the Naval Club, New
YOU are only as good as your last job. That is according to Steve Vanhinsbergh, whose family-run business stoneCIRCLE carved out a deal worth more than £100,000 after installing a client's bathroom. The bathroom belonged to Toby Hunter, who happens to
The last time I was in Belgrade it was the capital of Yugoslavia. Now, of course, the country has been renamed Serbia and Montenegro. Earlier in the week, with a group of members of Parliament and at the request of the British Council, I made a
Tadburn under 11s-football team have just held their presentation evening at The Abbey Hotel in the town centre. There the manager outlined the long association that the junior football club has with Romsey, which dates back thirty years. He also described
Rowledge (278-2) beat OTs & Romsey (186-6) by 92 runs OTs & ROMSEY managed to open their league season last Saturday despite the wet weather, but were soundly beaten by their visitors to the Sports Centre. Skipper Mike Trodd invited Rowledge to
A Testimonial match in aid of former Mottisfont striker Michael Jackson was attended by more than 600 spectators at Winchester City's ground last Saturday. Two teams, drawn from his former colleagues at several Hampshire clubs, played in the match and
Hampshire need to win their last five C&G Trophy games to qualify for a second successive Lord's final - after suffering a last-ball defeat against Kent at The Rose Bowl. Successive losses against Middlesex last week and by four wickets Kent yesterday
Kevin Latouf oozed class as he struck a superb unbeaten 122 to steer the Hampshire Academy to a five-wicket win over ECB Southern Electric Premier League rivals South Wilts at The Rose Bowl. The 20-year old opener, who made an equally elegant 97 against
Bashley grabbed seven Liphook & Ripsley wickets for eight runs to snatch a dramatic victory over their Premier Division 1 rivals at Ripsley Park. The visitors appeared to be looking down the barrel of a probable defeat when a century by Cambridge
Paul Terry set Hampshire the daunting target of five wins from five after a second successive C & G Trophy defeat. Holders Hampshire were unbeaten in seven C & G games before last weekend. But they have now lost their last two games by just 13
PEOPLE living in a Basingstoke maisonette block are being forced to give up their balconies because of problems with pigeons. Residents in the upper floor of maisonettes in Westray Close, Oakridge, are being kept awake at night by the birds' cooing, and
Pete Bourne of Hulles Way, North Baddesley's group Scout leader, was on Tuesday presented with the parishioner of the year award, by chairman Alan Dowden. The highways engineer in local government, who travels the 50 miles to work in Wokingham, Berkshire
A SCHEME to build a roundabout at a dangerous Wellow road junction has been slammed by a resident living nearby. Jayne Reed claims a roundabout won't stop accidents happening at the junction of Whinwhistle Road and the notorious A36 Salisbury-to- Southampton
REGULARS at a Braishfield pub are raising their glasses to help a young King's Somborne woman pay for pioneering brain surgery. The Dog and Crook pub has adopted Meg Jones as its cause and hopes to put on several fundraising events so the 20-year-old
Southampton's Jamie King won the Most Improved Player of the Year award after impressing at the National Deaf Tennis Championships in Gloucester. The 16-year-old, from Locks Heath, won the B Division Singles at the National Championships in both 2004
PLANS for 14 new homes in the back yard and car park of Romsey's White Horse Hotel have been overwhelmingly rejected by councillors. The scheme drawn up by Romsey Developments Limited had also included proposals to convert the hotel's historic stable
ROMSEY'S police chief leaves the town today for a new and more senior post within Hampshire's police force. Inspector Peter Funnell, who has been Romsey's top officer for three and a half years' will be in charge of the police's Western Operational Command
BRAISHFIELD residents fear their lives will be endangered if Hampshire's first gasification plant is built on their doorstep. Worried villagers have warned that if there was an accident at the BKP Group's proposed plant at Timsbury's Bunny Lane it could
A COMPANY based on the outskirts of Romsey has shown it can stop MRSA and other deadly bugs in their tracks. Talley Environmental Care already has strong links with the NHS through the special inflatable mattresses and beds it makes at its Premier Way
THREE teenage tearaways have been warned they face two-year jail sentences if they break antisocial behaviour orders banning them from Romsey town centre. The trio - Luke Monroe, 14, Martyn Luffman, 14, and 16-year-old Thomas Burgess - have also been
CLAIMS that Romsey Hospital is being under-used have been made by the MPs and campaigners who fought for its future. Romsey was one of five community hospitals in South West Hampshire which came under threat of closure last year, but all were saved after
CELEBRITY chef Antony Worrall Thompson entertained visitors at Hampshire's annual Watercress Festival by rustling up some healthy recipes. The Saturday Kitchen presenter and Ready Steady Cook regular served up a watercress and strawberry salad at the
TRADITIONAL Morris Men mixed with bhangra beats of the Punjab as Winchester's Mayfest 06 offered something for almost everyone. The event has grown out of the long-running folk festival to also embrace roots and blues and jazz. There were numerous traditional
A BOOZY birthday bash almost ended in tragedy for a young couple who had to be rescued from their blazing flat by firefighters. Dean Smith, 21, had been downing drinks into the early hours to celebrate his 21st birthday with his family. However, when
POLITICIANS are always running for office. But viewers will soon see Winchester MP Mark Oaten running quite literally when he stars in a reality TV show - attempting to get fit. The BBC show, The Body Politics, focuses on three MPs attempting to improve
CHILDREN'S favourites came to life when some of their greatest book characters came to a Hampshire amusement park over the week-end. Noddy, with best friends Big-Ears, Mr Plod and the mischievous goblins, Sly and Gobbo, enthralled the youngsters at Paultons
RAISING money around the clock, a pair of Eastleigh cyclists have completed a cycling marathon by pedalling for 24 hours. Between them Adam South, pictured left, and Matt Bennett, right, cycled more than 518 miles to raise funds for national charity Cancer
THEY were making fundraising waves on one of the world's most famous rivers. The Hamble River Raid was launched last year in a bid to keep the roof over the oldest Sea Scout group in the country and raise cash for other good causes. Each team donated
POLICE are warning residents against buying goods from doorstep salesman after a resident was burgled while one visited his property. Several homeowners reported having a doorstep salesman knock on their door selling a range of cleaning and other products
CRANBOURNE Business and Enterprise College students Beth Chilvers and Jo Morris helped Hampshire maintain an oustanding record by winning the English Schools Under-16 Girls Championship on Monday. In the final they beat Leicestershire 3-2 after extra
FINAL preparations are under-way for the annual Titchfield Music Week with an exciting line-up. The event begins at the Queen's Head pub on Tuesday, June 6 with George Formby, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and Rob Wilton impersonators ready to meet the
PARISH council: The council will meet on Monday, at 7.30pm, in the village hall. Members of the public are welcome and the agenda includes a 10-minute break when you are permitted to speak. The parish clerk can be contacted on 881420. CLIFT Meadow open
BASINGSTOKE Baptist Church: The soup kitchen menu offered lamb broth, leek and celery soup and tomato and basil soup at lunchtime on Tuesday, May 2. People voted for a full cooked meal once a month, but we will have to wait. Soup and a sweet are served
ELECTIONS at Brookvale Hall: Last Thursday saw a 35 per cent turnout of eligible voters of the Brookvale and Kings Furlong ward. Councillor John Shaw, of the Liberal Democrats, was overwhelmingly voted back in with 699 votes, against the Conservatives
CHINEHAM Parish Council met last Monday: The annual elections for chairman of the parish council and various committees took place, with Chris Tomblin receiving unanimous support to continue as chairman. Martin Adams is also likely to continue as vice-chairman
ELECTION result: Last week's borough council election in Hatch Warren and Beggarwood resulted in Cllr Phil Heath being re-elected. The details are: Cllr Heath 1,460 votes, the Lib-Dem candidate 404 votes, the Labour Party candidate 249 votes. FUN day:
CYCLE training: Forty-seven Kempshott pupils are undertaking on-road cycle training at Hollyhock/Hyacinth and Greenbirch closes during May, June and July, so drive carefully in these areas. WALKING for health: Meet at the Walled Garden car park, Down
ANNUAL parish assembly: Come along to the Village Club on Monday, at 7.15pm. This is effectively the annual general meeting for Kingsclere Ltd. The keynote speakers will be Zorayna O'Donnell, the ASBO manager in the borough, Ben Taylor, our new rural
SUMMER fayre: A limited number of pitches are still available for the Oakley schools joint summer fayre, which is on Saturday, July 1, at 1.30pm. Pitches cost £12. Please contact Lisa-Marie Bridger for more information on 780312. FOOTBALL: Congratulations
AT YOUR Leisure - for over-55s: At Your Leisure will soon be celebrating its first birthday and we would like to take this opportunity to gain your views and ideas on the project so that we can improve on it. Brian Bartlett, centre manager, and June Balcombe
A MAN died when his high-powered car overturned during a police chase in Hedge End last night. Officers in Eastleigh are appealing for witnesses following the accident on Tollbar Way at about 11.10pm. The single occupant of the red car sustained serious
CONGRATULATIONS: To Sven on his by-election victory. The real winner, though, in this hard-fought contest was the village and its residents.
PAMBER Heath Gardening Club: At next Tuesday's meeting, Gerald Ponting will be giving a talk entitled "The Colours of Provence". The meeting starts at 7.30pm, at Pamber Heath Memorial Hall. For more information on this friendly club, contact Richard Brown
TALENT competition: The final of the John Hunt of Everest Parent Group talent competition is on Tuesday, starting at 7.30pm, at the school. The finalists have been through a selection process and are now asking for your support to make their final a really
EVERGREENS: On Bank Holiday Monday, the Evergreens visited the Chelsea Pensioners Home and met former Sherfield resident John Owen. The Evergreens celebrated their 60th birthday on Monday, May 8. Full report next week. FETE: Plans for our village fete
JUMBLE sale: In the Methodist Hall, Silchester, on Saturday, May 20, starting at 2pm. Jumble may be left at the hall in the morning. SILCHESTER Players: Tickets are going fast for their production of Time & the Conways on Friday and Saturday, May
JOE Clark and Peter Allmark: Sad news last week of the death of Joe Clark, of Newtown. Joe, who owned New Inn Fuels, will be missed by his family and friends. Also, Peter Allmark passed away. Peter ran the Sunday School at St Mary's Church for a great
SAINTS will receive £100,000 from Arsenal for every first team appearance Theo Walcott makes for the forseeable future. It was revealed over the weekend that the Gunners are committed to five £1m installments every time the teenager makes 10 first team
Sir.-Can I deduce from the comments made by your Old Basing Community News correspondent, Cyril Mullett, that he was not altogether impressed by possibly one of the oldest traditions in this country - that of dancing in the dawn on May Day? Morris sides
Sir.-I feel certain that, like myself, many patients at Mr Matich's practice will have been saddened at the news conveyed in your front page article last Thursday. While the facts, as reported, may not engender sympathy for this gentleman's plight, I
Sir.-I write regarding the decision to abandon the bid to show the World Cup on a big screen in Basingstoke. When my friend told me about the idea, I was so excited at the prospect of watching the England games on a big screen like they do in London and
Sir.-Thank you to the people of Winklebury and Worting for giving me the privilege of being your borough councillor for the last six full and active years. It has been an honour to serve you all. Having now been voted off the council, my special thanks
CHRIS Chandler made a winning start in his first competitive match in charge of Basingstoke and North Hants on Sunday, May 7. Drawn away to Middlesex side Bessborough in the first round of the Evening Standard Trophy, Basingstoke accumulated 237 before
THE RELEGATED cricketers of Basingstoke and North Hants will not be spending their way out of trouble this summer. Keith Harris, cricket section chairman of the newly-named Basingstoke Sports and Social Club, confirmed this week that paying players for
MORE than 100 invited guests helped celebrate the official opening of the Active Life Centre - and it is certainly a place that the people of Basingstoke can be proud of. Borough mayor Councillor Paula Baker and Brian Stocks, the president of British
Today's principal Southampton arrivals: CMA CGM Strauss, container, 0330, 207; Bangkok Express, container, 0400, SCT; Crystal Serenity, passenger, 0500, 101; Montlhery, roro, 0700, 201; Autoracer, roro, 0730, 25; APL Hong Kong, container, 1100, 204; Cape
