Steve Stone played within 24 hours of completing his free transfer from Aston Villa and said: "I wouldn't have left the Premiership for any other club." Stone, who last started for Pompey during his loan spell six weeks ago, signed a two and half year
IT'S going to be a Blue Christmas for Totton manager Ian Robinson after he watched his side slump to another defeat - a shock 4-2 home reverse by Fareham Town. At the beginning of this month, Robinson's men were the only undefeated side in the league,
Newport IoW manager Steve Tate admitted "football never ceases to amaze me" after the Islanders got back into his good books by piling on the agony for Fleet Town. Just four days earlier Tate had branded his players "gutless" for their embarrassing 7-
Woolston hotshot James Taylor helped himself to a hat-trick in Havant & Waterlooville's 3-3 Premier Division draw at Folkestone Invicta. But it was another Southampton player Neil Davis who caught co-manager Mick Jenkins' eye as man-of-the-match.
Lymington Town won the spot prize in Saturday's Hampshire League Premier Division contest against Stockbridge - and walked off with their first home win of the season. Penalties influenced the outcome, one which Stockbridge missed in the first half and
Today's Principal Arrivals: APL PEARL,Container, 13:00, 206; ASIAN TRUST, Ro/Ro, 14:00, 43; HMS GOODWILL, General Cargo,18:00, 205; ARNO, Ro/Ro, 19:00, 102; GRAN BRETAGNA, Vehicle, 22:45, 202; Today's Principal Sailings: CONNEMARA, General Cargo, 17:00
Christmas can be an especially lonely time for pensioners living on their own. Sin Davies reports on a group of volunteers who tackle the problem. FOR most people, waking up on Christmas Day to a mountain of presents and the promise of a turkey dinner
The chance of experiments and the testing out of unfamiliar players was the order of the day as a number of pre-Christmas friendlies saw some interesting results. A very young Winchester side travelled for their hastily-arranged fixture with Marlow, a
Hampshire hot-shot Andy Jenkins is on a roll - and he intends to keep it that way for at least one more tournament. The Cosham bricklayer made a huge decision to forfeit his right to play in the Embassy World Darts Championship just over a year ago and
FOUR people were injured in a head-on crash that closed a New Forest road for several hours. A female casualty was taken to Southampton General Hospital with what police described as life-threatening injuries. The accident happened on the A35, two miles
COMPANIES in the south continue to risk failure because they lack the necessary management skills to take their companies forward. Research by R3, the organisation which represents professionals working with under-performing businesses, regularly assesses
HAMPSHIRE-based Rodd Industrial Design has completed the design of a new health unit set to be installed in pharmacies throughout the country. The Wellpoint Interactive Health Centre is a freestanding monitoring and health advice unit and is the result
THE CINDERELLA story has been given a modern twist in The Mayflower's Christmas panto. The familiar elements of the glass slipper and the Fairy Godmother were there, but the story was - unexpectedly - set in the town of Rock and Rap. The panto also had
Aladdin - Ferneham Hall, Fareham, until January 5. PANTO is not dead. Some pantos may have an A-list cast, spend thousands on special effects and are performed in grand settings but this is good old-fashioned panto at its best. Alvin Stardust as Abanazar
HOBBITS are pretty much inescapable at the moment, thanks to the release of The Two Towers, the second film in the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you fancy going back to where it all started - but without the bother of actually reading the book -
BUNGLING council staff kept on paying an ex-employee for 15 months after she left her job, it has been revealed. Now the former social worker is being sued by Hampshire County Council who are demanding back the £18,000 they paid her. Clarice Jansen, 57
THE GRIEVING family of tragic Southampton baby Lewis Adams have opened their hearts about the night their "smiling little angel" died. The bath chair he had been sitting in tipped over, plunging little Lewis into the water. When his frantic parents pulled
A HAMPSHIRE military base is set to be the scene of intense activity after a war warning issued by the Prime Minister. Tony Blair has told the armed forces to prepare for possible military action against Iraq if Saddam Hussein fails to comply with weapons
SOUTHAMPTON shopkeepers are rubbing their hands in anticipation of healthy profits after Christmas shoppers almost brought the city to a standstill over the weekend. Tills rather than bells were jingling in stores across the shopping area as traders reported
LANDLORDS in Southampton have raised half a glass to news that pubs and clubs will be able to open for 36 hours over New Year's Eve. Pubs, clubs, nightclubs and discos will now be able to open between 11am on New Year's Eve and 11pm on New Year's Day
THE FIRST bus company has announced its schedules for Christmas and the New Year. The Southampton-based firm is running normal services today and its usual Saturday services up to 10pm tomorrow. No services will be running on Christmas Day or Boxing Day
TWO more one-day internationals are to be staged at the Rose Bowl in the next few years. Hampshire have a provisional agreement with the ECB to host a match between the West Indies and New Zealand in 2004, while Pakistan v Sri Lanka is the other probable
JUST as a new batch of publicly assembled popstars are unleashed on to the public, Britain's favourite flop stars are proving you can't beat a bit of good old-fashioned determination. While the now defunct Hear'Say grabbed the limelight as the winners
A POST-MORTEM examination was due to be carried out today on the body of a young man who was found lying at the foot of Shanklin cliffs on the Isle of Wight over the weekend. The grim discovery was made just after midday on Saturday by a member of the
FESTIVE messages of goodwill from the people of Eastleigh will be delivered around the globe inside a card designed by an eight-year-old schoolgirl. Artistic Rachel Batchelor from Freegrounds Junior School, Hedge End, designed the winning entry in Eastleigh
TWO of Hampshire's top young players have been awarded golfing scholarships in the United States of America. Barton Peveril student David Butwell has won a place at Indiana University and Stoneham clubman Shaun Justice will start at Colorado next month
FORMER Saints star Matthew Le Tissier smacked home his first goal for Eastleigh to help keep the league leaders top of the JWL tree for Christmas. Le Tissier struck five minutes from time at Ten Acres to complete a comfortable 4-0 victory over basement
HAMBLE ASSC lived up to their nickname of Larry's Lunatics on Saturday as they turned up for their match against Christchurch dressed in festive fashion. There was a Christmas present for both teams as they took a point apiece after a 1-1 draw. But it
The prestigious prize of a place at St Mary's stadium in the SFA Cup final still looms large for apparently invincible Winchester City after a rousing fightback against underdogs Colden Common. Common took a shock lead through Lee Kelly but were overrun
Two errors from teenage centre-back Steve Hemmings proved costly for Basingstoke Town as they handed over an early Christmas present to Hendon at the Camrose Ground. But the youngster cannot take full blame for the 2-0 Ryman Premier defeat because, apart
The first of three crucial matches that will make or break Andover's season has passed - and no points gained as they fell to a disappointing 19-15 reverse at fellow strugglers Old Mid-Whitgiftian. It was a defeat that has left them still second bottom
Havant 19 - Basingstoke 21 It is almost becoming customary that matches between the county's big duo, Havant and Basingstoke, turn out to be dour affairs. Saturday's latest offering which Basingstoke claimed 21-19 to maintain their stranglehold over their
SAINTS reached the halfway point of their season on Saturday and picked up another valuable point - but Gordon Strachan knows that the hard work is far from over. The result of Southampton's opening 19 league matches is nothing short of sensational as
Solent Stars 92 - Worthing Thunder 87 THE name's Jackson, Howard Jackson, and he could be just the man to salvage Solent Stars' season. The 6ft 4in American arrived on the south coast from Ireland on Friday night. Twenty four hours later, Jacko was strutting
FOXHUNTING enthusiasts in the New Forest are looking for a massive show of support at their traditional Boxing Day meet. The New Forest Hounds are hoping hundreds of people will cheer them on when they set off from the Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst
A HAMPSHIRE military base is set to be the scene of intense activity after a war warning issued by the Prime Minister. Tony Blair has told the armed forces to prepare for possible military action against Iraq if Saddam Hussein fails to comply with weapons
A NEW Daewoo dealership opens in Southampton in the new year as the manufacturer enters a new era in the motoring business. Daewoo joins Vauxhall under the General Motors umbrella and has ambitious plans for new model launches in the coming months. Heading
THEY'VE brightened up everyone's Christmas. Those artistic people who cover their homes with extravagant displays of Christmas lights and decorations have surpassed themselves this year. The Daily Echo has scoured Southampton and Hampshire to bring you
JIM DAVIDSON will be the star guest at one of the biggest charity shindigs in 2003. The last major event of the Rose Road Children's Appeal - hosted by their vice patron Lawrie McMenemy - is expected to be a sell-out. Tickets are already on sale for the
SIMON KATICH was this week confirmed as Hampshire's second overseas player for next season. The 27-year-old Australian left hander has signed a one year contract with the county and should be available for the entire summer unless called up by his country
ORNAMENTAL cats made of rabbit fur have been withdrawn from sale from Eastleigh's Swan Shopping Centre after a Bishopstoke shopper claimed they were offensive. The cats - which were not labelled as being made out of rabbit fur - were on sale on a stall
FABRICE FERNANDES admitted luck played a part in his dramatic Elland Road equaliser. The Frenchman scored direct from a free-kick in the 89th minute to secure Saints a deserved 1-1 draw - after jumps from Jo Tessem and Danny Mills appeared to wrong-foot
