Archive

  • No added bonus is a minus point

    HAVE British speedway chiefs shot themselves in the foot after their swift abolishment of the tried and tested aggregate bonus point? That is the question on many shale-shifting fans' lips this week after Pirates' two starkly contrasting matches against

  • Woman’s fury at claims police ‘exempt’ from law

    A WOMAN who claims she saw a policeman driving in Christchurch holding a digital camera instead of the steering wheel is furious after she was told police are exempt from rules governing the road. Lorraine Laird, 41, from Throop, said she could not believe

  • Gap between rich and poor is underlined

    THE gap between the rich and poor in Dorset has been underlined in a report showing that the county contains one of the most deprived - and one of the least deprived - areas of the country. Latest figures reveal that part of the Boscombe West ward in

  • Schoolboy, 15, is hurt in knife attack

    A SHOCKED schoolboy needed hospital treatment following a knife attack in broad daylight in the Iford area of Bournemouth. Violence flared near the Iford roundabout just before 4pm on Wednesday. Details of the assault have just been released by Dorset

  • Make a break for it

    SCENES of Carry on Nurse, The French Connection and The Italian Job were included in a crime caper which was released in Christchurch yesterday morning when more than 30 charity fundraisers staged their own Great Escape in Trains, Planes and Automobiles

  • Last farewell full of smiles

    THE town's official jester led a funeral procession as the father of Bournemouth juggling was laid to rest. Barney Bay and six jugglers walked in front of Paul Dibben's hearse as it arrived at the crematorium. Mr Dibben, who died of cancer aged 56,

  • Let’s not wage war on heroes

    WHEN ROYAL Marine Commando Matthew Croucher realised he had accidentally triggered a Taliban grenade booby trap, his first thought was for his colleagues. So he flung himself on the device - as you don't - and waited for the inevitable. Modest Matt miraculously

  • This pig might fly!

    MIGHT pigs fly? It certainly seemed like it when RSPCA staff were presented with this little specimen, who wasn't picked up on his way to market - but to Bournemouth International Airport. The piglet - nicknamed Ryan after a certain airline - was discovered

  • Ten raise a glass to 'have a drink with my dad' call to the bar

    'ALE AND 'EARTY fellow needed to chew the fat over a pint or two with elderly gent, £7 an hour and all expenses paid. It sounds too good to be true. Loving son Mike Hammond advertised in a New Forest post office for a drinking pal for his elderly father

  • A matter of good judgement

    LORD Phillips of Worth Matravers is worried that public confidence in the legal system is being undermined. The Lord Chief Justice says the controversial early release system for prisoners is an undesirable reaction by the government to jail overcrowding

  • Hospital’s call for help with £1m bid

    SICK and disabled youngsters from the New Forest, Dorset and Wiltshire are to benefit from a £4 million state-of-the-art children's centre at Salisbury Hospital due to open in 2010. Now Salisbury District Hospital has launched its £1 million Stars Appeal

  • Best bra none

    NO wonder the push-up bra has been hailed as the greatest fashion invention in the world ever. It's the secret weapon in many women's lingerie drawer that can make mountains out of even the smallest of mole-hills. The cleavage-enhancing underwear beat

  • Mum puts house on Jess’s success

    JESSICA Greenham beat competition from hundreds of applicants throughout the UK to be awarded a place at London's prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. But now her single-parent mum has resorted to selling her house and is appealing for sponsorship

  • A set secreted at light speed

    Air Traffic, iBar, Bournemouth BOURNEMOUTH four-piece Air Traffic returned home on Thursday night to play an intimate "secret" gig. Eager fans queued for two-and-a-half hours to ensure they were one of the 100 granted access to the gig. The venue's

  • Age is just a Brucie bonus

    DIDN'T he do well? After more than 60 years in showbiz, Bruce Forsyth is now officially the nation's most admired golden oldie, according to a new poll. The fleet-footed octogenarian who presents Strictly Come Dancing, merited a "nice to see you... nice

  • False identity for Iraqi man ends in prison

    AN Iraqi man who assumed a fake identity for himself in a bid to illegally remain in Britain was jailed for 16 months and recommended for deportation. Alan Rowandoussi, 35, of Douglas Gardens, Poole, failed to leave the country after his claim for asylum

  • Will station be opened again?

    THE possibility of reopening Boscombe Railway Station is to be investigated as part of plans to regenerate the area. Council leaders agreed to draw up a development brief for vacant land between North Road and the railway bridge in Ashley Road. This

  • Hales hit new heights

    SOME excellent fish have been recorded during the past few days by shore anglers with Michael Hales from Broadstone beaching a personal best bass at Southbourne. Hales used a fillet of mackerel presented on a single 2/0 hook fished at close range in

  • Lee James Busst

    THIS is the book of condolence for Lee James Busst, 29, who died following a road traffic collision. Place your tributes below.

  • Cyclist killed in collision named

    THE cyclist who died after he collided with a stationary van on Alder Road, Poole, on Tuesday has been named as 29-year-old Lee James Busst. The security officer of Cove Road, Bournemouth, was taken to Southampton Hospital neurological unit following

  • New Peugeots expand range

    PEUGEOT will expand its latest 308 range later this year with a practical 308 SW and the dynamic 308 GT THP 175. The latter is powered by the 1.6 litre turbo-charged THP 175bhp petrol engine, previously found in the 207 GTi THP 175. It is also fitted

  • 1 to watch

    VERY few concept cars actually make it into production almost unchanged - but one of those which has achieved this is the new four-seat BMW 1 Series Convertible which goes on sale April 5. The fourth model in the 1 Series family, the Convertible doesn't

  • Local music

    RAPPER Zuby will be heading up an event at Bumbles on April 17. The show has been organised by the hip-hop artist himself with Mr Shadow, Mosik and DJ Tempa also featuring on the bill. The gig is for those aged 14 and upwards and tickets are available

  • Taking the Michael

    FOR a moment on Sunday I thought that Michael Aspel had died. I turned on the TV and instead of the usual Antiques Roadshow (BBC1, 6.30pm) malarkey there was a couple of the show's experts, namely David stroke-my-'tache' Battie and Paul Atterbury, talking

  • Son of Rambow (12A) ****

    FOR those of us who lived through the '80s (with tattered Polaroids to recall the glaring fashion faux pas), it was the decade of leg warmers and Space Dust popping furiously on the tongue. "Frankie Say" T-shirts were the political statement of choice

  • Awake (15) **

    I FEAR there may be a typographical error in the advertising for Joby Harold's feature film debut. A space seems to have gone astray in the film's title, so audiences will stumble blindly into this hokey medical thriller unaware they are attending A

  • Never Back Down (15) **

    IF the classic '80s fairy-tale The Karate Kid sparred with cult 90s hit Fight Club, the bloodied, bruised pulp that emerges from the melee would be Never Back Down, a homoerotic tale of bare-knuckle brawling guys, bikini-clad girls and broken families

  • One Missed Call (15) Preview

    TEENAGER Beth has witnessed several of her good friends fall victim to the same bizarre curse: they receive a message on their mobile phones, apparently from themselves at the moment of death, and then perish soon after. When Beth receives one of the

  • What makes this area so very special?

    IN a bid to retain Purbeck's unique character, residents are being urged to offer their views on what makes the area so special. As part of a district-wide programme, people will be invited to add their input in a review of conservation areas in Langton

  • Heroes & Villains (15) BBC/2entertain ****

    GLOSSY yet grimy - and sometimes gory - history comes to life in this excellent collection of dramatised documentaries from the Beeb. Six spectacular stories reveal the lives of some of the most famous men of the past, including Spartacus, Napoleon,

  • Chromophobia (15) Momentum ***

    CHOCK-FULL of some of Britain's finest (Kristen Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans to name just half) plus the inimitable Penelope Cruz, this was always going to be a classy affair. Set in the moral vacuum that is London society, we follow a wealthy

  • Futurama: Bender’s Big Score (12) Fox Home Entertainment ***

    AHHHH... it's like the return of an old friend - that comfy sofa you know is a little lumpy but still cushions the buttocks unlike anything else. Bender's Big Score - the first of four new feature-length Futurama specials - has more than its fair share

  • Rescue Dawn (12) Pathe ****

    THE times they are a-changin' as mordant German director Werner Herzog makes a hopeful and upbeat film. Sort of. Set in 1965 in the early days of US involvement in Vietnam, Navy pilot Dieter Dengler is shot down on a black ops mission over Laos. Captured

  • Estelle - Shine (Atlantic/Homeschool) ***

    HAVING hit big with the anthemic 1980, big things were expected of Estelle... big things that never quite happened. Now signed to John Legend's label - which may explain why the likes of will.i.am, Kanye West, Cee-Lo, Wyclef Jean, Mark Ronson and Legend

  • REM - Accelerate (Warners) ****

    REM's best record in a decade? Ever? Achieving critical mass (adulation) ever again seemed to have been beyond REM's reach long before their last album (the feeble Around the Sun), but while you can't teach them new tricks, you should never write off

  • Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (WEA) ****

    ANYONE with a pair of ears should know there's a helluva lot more to Gnarls Barkley than funky party tunes and filmic fancy dress outfits - well over two million people bought the first album, St Elsewhere, which, as much as it could kick start a carousal

  • Lowgold - Promise Lands (Goldhawk Recordings) ***

    HAVING delivered three generally well-received albums that failed to make much of an impact beyond the critics and insiders, Lowgold are to be applauded for sticking to their guns and simply getting better at what they do. Namely, expansive mood-rock

  • Rat-or-two-ey?

    DOGS have a reputation for being man's best friend but rats could be a strong contender for the title. The highly intelligent creatures are increasing in popularity as pets leading to a rise in the numbers being brought into animal sanctuaries. To

  • Cash now, or the club is struggling

    GERALD Krasner reopened the bidding for Cherries, then warned that the ailing club could fold without a quick cash injection. The Cherries administrator confirmed at a press conference yesterday that the £1million bid from Jeff Mostyn's consortium was

  • Krasner could sell players

    A PLAYER exodus may be sparked after Gerald Krasner revealed he had sought advice from one of the game's leading agents in a bid to generate much-needed funds. Wasserman Media Group (WMG), which represents the likes of Premier League stars Steven Gerrard

  • Bond aims to ruin the party

    CHERRIES will aim to postpone Swansea's promotion party when they take on the League One leaders at the Liberty Stadium tomorrow (3pm). If the Welsh side win and third-placed Doncaster Rovers lose, their place in the Championship next season will be

  • Burrows the toast of Priory

    CHRISTCHURCH boss Graham Kemp will be a bottle of champagne lighter following Marc Burrows's double strike against AFC Totton. The experienced frontman reached his pre-season target of 25 goals in all competitions during Priory's 3-2 home defeat against

  • Warren won't give up title chase

    WIMBORNE manager Christer Warren has refused to hang up the white flag on his side's championship chase. But he acknowledged it is AFC Totton's title to throw away. Magpies have been out of action since their 1-0 home defeat against Poppies on March

  • Huggins hoping for touch of comfort

    CAPTAIN Dave Huggins is hopeful of a comfortable victory when his Wimborne side host Corsham in Southern Counties South tomorrow. Wimborne have named an unchanged line-up as they bid to complete the double over their mid-table rivals, having defeated

  • Riley hopeful on Knowles

    BASHLEY boss Steve Riley is "optimistic" midfielder Chris Knowles will be able to return from injury for their home clash against Rugby tomorrow (3pm). The former Salisbury player limped off in the 19th minute of their thrilling 4-3 home win over Team

  • MOSTYN NOT DONE YET

    CHAIRMAN Jeff Mostyn WILL launch a fresh bid to take control of Cherries - if no other offers land on Gerald Krasner's table before Monday. Krasner yesterday invited new bids for the ailing club, after Mostyn's partnership with businessman Marc Jackson

  • Family asked Mostyn to walk away

    JEFF Mostyn's family was a key factor in his decision to scrap his bid for the club. Mostyn revealed, however, that, despite agreeing with his wife to walk away from his offer to Gerald Krasner, he had an 11th hour change of heart - before eventually

  • Fear factor for Swans' Elford

    ROBERT Elford accepts his Swanage and Wareham charges will be labelled underdogs when they take on Bournemouth Lions in Sunday's Dorset and Wiltshire Cup final at Dorchester. And the Purbeckers' captain also confessed to fearing all 15 of Lions' South

  • Holiday turned into a hostage situation

    A Highcliffe grandmother who was among passengers stranded on a cruise liner in Madeira has spoken of her frustration at being "held hostage" during a round-the-world trip of a lifetime. Seasoned traveller Janet Taylor, 64, and her husband Brian were

  • Strike call may shut schools fear

    SCHOOLS in Dorset may have to close for a day if the teachers' strike goes ahead later this month. The National Union of Teachers has called a strike over below inflation pay increases. South West Regional secretary of the union Andy Woolley said: "

  • NEW HOTELS BID

    LEISURE developers have vowed to lure families back to Bournemouth by investing £43 million in three new hotels in the resort. Following years of hotel closures to make way for burgeoning flat blocks, the Isle of Wight-based Carlton Hotel Group has revealed