RINGWOOD Town pushed title contenders VT FC all the way before falling to another defeat tonight. Jy Taylor's side went behind early on before Dan Baguley got them back on level terms. But a goal just before the break killed their hopes and a late penalty
GRAHAM Kemp was unhappy with two key refereeing decisions as his Christchurch side were denied a shock win over leaders Totton tonight. Mark Osman fired the visitors into a 24th-minute lead at Hurn Bridge but goals either side of half-time from Marc
OAKMEADIANS' hopes of a Southern Counties South play-off berth appear to be over after Saturday's 35-10 defeat at Oldfield Old Boys. With two games remaining, Oaks are now five points adrift of second-placed Wootton Bassett and with a home clash against
SWANAGE and Wareham kept their South West Two East title hopes alive with an easy 25-3 win over Reading Abbey at Bestwall. Robert Elford's men are now heading for a championship showdown with league leaders Chippenham on April 12, although second-placed
DAVID Dunn has targeted Lions' home clash against high-flying Weston-Super-Mare on April 12 as a must-win game to secure his side's South West One safety once and for all. Dunn's charges could have all but guaranteed their top-flight status for another
EAST Dorset people are being urged to unite with their neighbours in Christchurch to have their say on development threats to green belt land. People from Corfe Mullen to Burton are facing a 20-year building programme on unspoilt land if the government
ROADS were closed after piles of wood caught fire on the controversial old St Boniface Convent site in Bournemouth. The fire brigade was called just after 7am yesterday to the convent site in Doveshill Crescent, Redhill. A spokesman for Dorset Fire
THE death of Townsend Primary school's caretaker was not to do with the school's likely closure, according to his widow. An inquest was opened at the coroner's court in Bournemouth on Tuesday morning into the death of 58-year-old Gordon Briggs, who worked
HOSPITALS in East Dorset completed the government-imposed deep cleaning programme in time for the April 1 deadline. Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced last September that all 1,500 hospitals in England would be scrubbed thoroughly to tackle bugs such
BUSINESS leaders in Bournemouth and Poole are becoming more cautious, says a leading Dorset academic - but the outlook remains positive. While the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has forecast that at least 10,000 jobs could be lost in the UK's
I WENT to London the other day. When in town I prefer to take the train because it is easier than driving and it means I can dip into a good book - usually a Jack Higgins or a Jeffrey Archer. However, the last few occasions when daring to use public
IT'S a visit destined to cause as much excitement as that of the Easter Bunny himself - the arrival of Sportacus and his fellow residents of LazyTown in Bournemouth. Action hero Sportacus will be flying his airship to the Pavilion Theatre on Wednesday
GOVERNMENT defiance over a new tax on empty property, which came into force on Tuesday, April 1, is being condemned by the country's major retailers, office and warehouse owners. They believe it will harm communities and damage business. In an unprecedented
I GUESS most people would welcome being told their backside is too small. But when Anne-Marie Samuel, from Boscombe-based Body In Motion, told me exactly that, it came as a bit of a blow. You see, I'm running in this year's London Marathon on April
The town centre of Poole needs an improved infrastructure to accommodate plans such as the £50m-plus Poole Gateway scheme. This was one comment on the Daily Echo website following the story that the ambitious scheme to replace the railway station, and
A MINORITY may call it urban art, but to most people graffiti is an ugly scar in areas that would benefit from beautifying, not defacing. In Christchurch, the Grange Pact (Partners and Communities Together) has been working with young people and spreading
HOMELESS New Forest families are likely to spend about 80 weeks in hostel accommodation before being found homes of their own. That is one of the stark facts which was facing councillors at the New Forest District Council cabinet meeting. The council
MEMBERS of the National Union of Teachers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over pay. The one-day walkout, set for April 24, will be the first national NUT stoppage for 21 years. Teachers are angry at the government's 2.45 per cent
A MOTORCYCLIST sustained serious head injuries following a collision in Bournemouth. Part of Holdenhurst Road has been cordoned off following the collision between a Kawasaki motorcycle and a Rover 218 car. The crash occurred at 3.04pm this afternoon
A CYCLIST has serious head injuries after a collision in Alder Road, Poole. The male rider is thought to have been in collision with the back of a van at the bottom of a hill, by the junction with South Park Road. Police were called to the scene by
DORSET Police carried out a day of action on Tuesday to deny criminals the use of the roads. Using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition Technology (ANPR), a team of 96 officers from Dorset, Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Devon and Cornwall
IT'S said that a sign of a good restaurant is the number of locals it gets through the doors. And here's a place which attracts more than its fair share. Being situated right on a stretch of shore in Poole with fine, golden sand, gradual sloping beach
THE new Mini is already one of the hottest properties on the road, especially the range-topping Cooper S. But if that isn't enough for Mini fans, Blandford's GT Tuning think they can do better - with a fire breathing 400bhp version. The monster Mini
ALFA Romeo has dug deep into its sporting heritage to gain inspiration for its forthcoming Mi.To, which promises to offer a new generation of Alfa aficionados its most compact sporty car to date. The three-door Mi.To is the first new Alfa Romeo to be
INTERSERVE Retail and Interiors has relocated to new "eco" offices and joinery factory in Christchurch. The national shopfitting and interior fit-out division of Interserve Plc has invested heavily into their new facilities at Christchurch and has given
A TOP Dorset business leader says that local employers are being walked over by malingering' employees. Staff sickness and absence from work are costing UK businesses £13 billion a year, with employees taking an average eight days' sick leave per annum
TRANSYLVANIAN twins The Cheeky Girls are to star in a special show in aid of Diabetes UK at Bournemouth's Landmarc cabaret theatre on June 15. Gabriela and Monica, who shot to fame after winning over the hearts of the nation on Popstars: The Rivals,
ANYONE interested in the history of railways in and around the Bournemouth area will recognise the name Charles Castleman. Ask who he was and "the Wimborne solicitor behind the Southampton and Dorchester Railway" would be the stock reply. But there
INCREDIBLE as it now seems, 25 years ago this week the late, great George Best was turning out at Dean Court in one of his five games for AFC Bournemouth. Best, then aged 36, was signed for Cherries by manager Don Megson and played his final competitive
ALASTAIR Cook may be a fine cricketer - after all, he does play for England, although it's debatable whether that counts for very much these days - but his journalism leaves a little to be desired. I've never been a fan of professional sportspeople taking
I'VE just returned from a simply divine weekend at Viscount Hambledon's country retreat in Devon. It was fraightfully good. We stayed in lovely rums and had a rairly, rairly ripping time Er, sorry about that, but a visit to Bovey Castle is enough to
A ROYAL Marine from Ferndown is one of two servicemen killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. John Thornton, 22, died when his patrol vehicle was caught in a blast near Kajaki in Helmland Province just after 4.53pm local time on Sunday. It is understood
ROYAL Marine John Thornton from Ferndown was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan. Leave your tributes below.
FINDING a period property with original features and lots of space is a rare occurrence, yet this superb five-bedroom character house has plenty of both - and great views, too. It has two reception rooms, a roomy 29' kitchen/dining room, a ground floor
SWEDISH stunner Freddie Eriksson vigorously fought his corner after a controversial exclusion in Poole's big Elite League loss at Wolverhampton last night. Eriksson's double-figure return would have been even bigger but for his heat 14 exit at Monmore
JEFF Mostyn has confirmed his consortium's alliance with Marc Jackson has broken down due to "contractual reasons". Mostyn says the spilt came about because Jackson failed to meet certain funding criteria - a claim strenuously denied by Jackson. A consortium
FIFTY years ago, a young screenwriter named Norman Hudis was given someone else's script to re-write. It was an amiable comedy about a motley collection of conscripts doing their national service. The movie was Carry On Sergeant and no-one could have
A POWER vacuum threatens to engulf Blandford's chamber of commerce, leaving the town's traders leaderless. The president, vice-president, and treasurer of Blandford and District Chamber of Trade will all step down at the chamb-er's AGM on Thursday.
TWO motorcyclists died and a woman was seriously injured in three collisions on Sunday. A motorcyclist from Wimborne died after his bike left the road and collided with a tree on Sunday in the New Forest. The green Kawasaki had been travelling east
Scrummy Crumpets with Somerset Goat's Cheese - Serves 4 Preparation time: 10 mins Cooking time: 1 hours + cooling time Ingredients 400g fresh red rhubarb, roughly chopped 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional
CHAIRMAN Jeff Mostyn believes his latest cash injection has saved Cherries from certain liquidation - and given Kevin Bond's charges the chance to pull off the greatest escape in Football League history. Mostyn was on Tuesday confirmed as the preferred
SWEDISH stunner Freddie Eriksson vigorously fought his corner after a controversial exclusion in Poole's big Elite League loss at Wolverhampton last night. Eriksson's double-figure return would have been even bigger but for his heat 14 exit at Monmore
IF you've tried numerous detox and dieting regimes, you can still give your beauty a boost in other ways. Beauty oils, growth stimulators and supplements can give your hair, skin and nails an added lift. "By ensuring that your body has the nutrients
A DISABLED father-of-four from Bournemouth says his family will have to split up if Townsend School closes. Wheelchair-user Luke Wilson and his wife Amanda moved to a specially-built property in Ibbertson Close specifically to be close to the primary
A community is in mourning after the caretaker of a Bournemouth primary - which is set to close - was found dead in the school hall. Popular grandfather Gordon Briggs was found hanged at Townsend Primary and Nursery School on Saturday night. Mr Briggs
THEY are symbolic of the traditional British seaside holiday, hired by the hour or the day for the purpose of relaxing and gazing out to sea - ice-creams, cups of tea, sunhats or blankets optional, depending on weather. But as anyone with experience
