Archive

  • Leave it out!

    SCRIPTS for two explosive new episodes of EastEnders have been found in the toilet of a Bournemouth bar. According to Sunday newspapers, the scripts cover programmes for September 22 and 23. As well as the comeback of the Leslie Grantham, the next few

  • Rich List singer Amy wants to start up school

    LOCAL POP star Amy Studt has been tipped as a multi-millionaire of the future and wants to use her fortune to open a school. The 17-year-old from Queen's Park, Bournemouth, who has been storming the charts, is ranked number 14 on the Royal Bank of Scotland's

  • Barking mad

    IT'S that time of year again, when students tout their A-level results round the country's universities in search of acceptance. Sometimes, when the grades don't turn out too well, sights have to be lowered - having dreamed of reading Politics, Philosophy

  • The stuff... of dreams

    A FEW weeks ago I could safely say I'd never seen a cougar before. But that was until I went to see Dorset taxidermist Paul Taylor. For on a bench in his workshop stands a prime specimen of the muscular American big cat, looking like a small lioness,

  • Good show for a Bad Girl

    FARM animals, dog agility, a genuine Indian curry house and craftworks were just a few of the attractions at this year's Studland Country Fair. The Echo-backed fair, one of Dorset's biggest annual charity events, attracted thousands of families on the

  • Eagle earns Emo best Euro return

    EAGLE-EYED Gary Emerson banked his biggest pay cheque of the season in Munich on Sunday (Aug 31) to boost his chances of keeping his European Tour card. The 39-year-old Broadstone touring professional won £21,000 after finishing in a five-way tie for

  • Fanny - A Fiction

    Talking of trollopes, this is a quirky novel based on the experiences of writer Fanny Trollope (Anthony's ma) through a spoof biography of the seductive radical Fanny Wright. Fanny joins Fanny in a utopian community that turns out to be mucky. Trollope

  • The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure

    Romantic adventure as British enjoy picnics and tiger hunts in 1899 China, unaware that the Boxer Rising street-fighting men were gathering and 19th century social (and nervous) breakdown loomed. A young woman plays with fire by falling for a dullard

  • Store robber sent to prison

    A HEROIN addict who robbed a terrified Poole shop assistant at gunpoint has been jailed for four and a half years. Adrian Hansford, 27, admitted having an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery at Jones Stores in Hamworthy on April 27 this year

  • Ticket to bride

    THERE were trains, boats but no planes when a couple got married with a distinctively '60s theme on Saturday. The big day for Darren and Tracey Wheeler became even more memorable when an old London bus, a barge and a steam train provided transport for

  • War-weary Priory win Battle of Bitton

    RESILIENT Paul Rideout proved to be Christchurch's all-conquering hero as his last-gasp winner saw war-weary Priory triumph in the Battle of Bitton. Following a bruising encounter, Rideout popped up in the dying seconds to salvage victory for Tony Brown

  • Bad boy's brace ensures a place

    BAD boy Stuart Cannie went out with a bang as his brace fired Wimborne to a FA Cup first round qualifying clash with Hellenic League Premier Division Fairford Town. Cannie is banned for the next 35-days partly due to the fact he picked up an astonishing

  • Steve is rare shooting star

    IN A week when talk of the solar system has gripped the nation, Cherries fans were heralding the arrival of their very own shooting star. And at a time when a Cherries victory at Wrexham must have seemed as far away as Mars, Steve Purches's goal almost

  • PARTRIDGE TAKES FLIGHT FOR TERRAS

    HIINCKLEY UNITED 1 WEYMOUTH 2 STRIKER Scott Partridge picked the perfect time to open his Weymouth account and snatch late victory at Middlefield Lane. The former Rushden and Diamonds and Exeter City star's stoppage time winner ended the Dorset side's

  • CLINICAL MAGPIES FIND THEIR SCORING TOUCH

    DORCHESTER 4 CHELMSFORD CITY 1 MANAGER Mark Morris' assertion that Dorchester weren't at their peak spells trouble ahead for some of the more suspect defences in the Dr Martens Premier Division. Last season's record-breaking Eastern Division goalgetters

  • KEELER'S BOOTS ARE POLISHED

    JUSTIN Keeler, Dorchester's top scorer last season with 26 league goals, broke in a new pair of boots with a match-winning performance against Chelmsford City. The former AFC Bournemouth left winger scored a sensational first of the season and laid on

  • WHY IS THERE SUCH A LONG QUEUE TO SEE THE MAGPIES PHYSIO?

    THE queue for a pre-match masssage has been noticeably longer at Dorchester's Avenue Stadium since physio Geoff Dine acquired another pair of healing hands to help him keep the Magpies players off the injured list. They belong to student Rachel Hayden

  • TURNER GETS A DOUBLE FINISH

    WAREHAM RANGERS 1 DORCHESTER RES 4 MAGPIES' Aaron Turner signed off with a double before trying his luck with Salisbury after failing to break into Dorchester's Dr Martens League squad. Turner, Dorchester leading scorer in the Dorset Premier League last

  • LAT MINUTE HEARTACHE AS BLUES BOW OUT

    HIGHWORTH TOWN 4 PORTLAND UNITED 3 PORTLAND United's hopes of a money-spinning FA Cup run were cruelly shattered in the last minute of this enthralling preliminary round contest at Elm Rec. With the scores level at three apiece, a replay back at Grove

  • OPENERS ENSURE WINNING FINALE

    HAMWORTHY REC 154 (4pts) lost to DORCHESTER 157-2 (25pts) by eight wickets A SEASON'S best opening stand of 114 between Ian Sibley and Jamie Acheson ensured Dorchester finished their NSA Premier Division season on a high away to already relegated Hamworthy

  • Finding a natural successor

    AT the age of 80, homeopathic doctor Marianne Harling admits she is thinking about retirement - if she can find someone to take her place at the Wessex Healthy Living Foundation in Bournemouth. But it's hard to imagine anyone stepping into the shoes of

  • Rich List singer Amy wants to start up school

    LOCAL POP star Amy Studt has been tipped as a multi-millionaire of the future and wants to use her fortune to open a school. The 17-year-old from Queen's Park, Bournemouth, who has been storming the charts, is ranked number 14 on the Royal Bank of Scotland's

  • Two women hurt by sex attacker

    A SEX fiend attacked two women - including a frail pensioner in her 80s - after breaking into their homes in the early hours. The elderly woman's husband was also assaulted as he confronted the attacker in their flat. The shocking sex assaults in the

  • Cabbies facing a big licence hike

    TAXI drivers in West Dorset face stiff rises in licence fees above levels charged to cabbies in Weymouth. Members of West Dorset District Council are being urged to back a 14.89 per cent rise at an appeals and licensing committee meeting on September

  • Council's complaint handling is slated

    A DAMNING report into how West Dorset District Council handled a planning complaint has been released today. Local government Ombudsman Jerry White ordered the authority to pay £1,000 in compensation for giving out wrong advice on how to appeal against

  • Freedom at last for jailed George

    JAILED businessman George Atkinson is due to fly home to freedom today after spending more than six years in a Middle East prison. Mr Atkinson has not seen his family since 1997, when he was arrested on charges of fraud and corruption during a visit to

  • Sir Stirling slows it down for steam fair

    HE was one of Britain's greatest ever motor racing drivers, but king of speed Stirling Moss was not complaining when he got behind the wheel of some slower vehicles at the Great Dorset Steam Fair. "It's my first visit and it's absolutely staggering. Everything

  • Up and running

    BOSS Sean O'Driscoll hailed Cherries' first victory of the season as a "team effort". Cherries broke their duck by chalking up a 1-0 triumph against Division Two rivals Wrexham on Saturday. Steve Purches netted the only goal of the game after just eight

  • NEW CLUES TO HEATHER KILLER

    MYSTERY strands of hair and a footprint in blood could finally lead detectives to the brutal killer of Bournemouth mother-of-two Heather Barnett. Almost ten months after Ms Barnett's horrified children discovered her mutilated body in their bathroom,

  • Residents shocked by murder

    HEATHER BARNETT'S horrific murder sent shockwaves through the Charminster area of Bournemouth. The third killing in six months understandably struck terror in the hearts of local residents already struggling to come to terms with the street stabbings

  • Footprint puts police on the trail of killer

    FOR THE second time in less than five years Dorset detectives are pinning their hopes on a bloody training shoe footprint leading them to a sick killer. From a distinctive print found at the Charminster home of mother-of-two Heather Barnett on the day

  • Alert sounded on 'minefield' of insurance

    BUSINESSES are increasingly facing an insurance "minefield" that extends far beyond the immediate concern of soaring liability premiums. Corporate manslaughter, pollution defence and investigations by the authorities are among the hazards that some firms

  • According to the Rolling Stones

    Insights from Stone Age ancients who refuse to fade away. Stick-thumping Watts is the sharpest voice in this giant tome (you'll wish you'd had it to stand on at that concert) that addicts will love night and day. Other survivors, like (jumping jack) flash

  • Courtesans

    Delightful study of four 19th century hanky-pank women who not only excelled themselves in spending nights together with the rich but offered dazzling conversation, too. They amassed influence and fortunes, while having many a powerful person under their

  • Bash stunned in Kent cup crash

    STUNNED Bashley could not recover from the shock of boss Barry Blankley's untimely departure as they crashed out of the FA Cup in Kent. After only being told of Blankley's surprise decision to quit on the team bus yesterday morning, Bash, led by vice-chair

  • Pround Williams praises Poppies

    A GRIPPING 1-1 stalemate against a strong Taunton Town side had Bournemouth Poppies boss Keith Williams enthusing: "That was a terrific performance." And a proud Williams went on to praise an FA Cup performance that is guaranteed to live in the Poppies

  • Karim signs off in style for Dolphins

    GOAL machine Karim Banssouada signed off in style as Poole Town continued their explosive start to the Hampshire League Premier Division season with a 4-0 victory over Amesbury Town. Banssouada starts a four-month suspension today following a series of

  • The Linnets in Hawkish mood

    IAN Robinson admitted his side had performed a "get in and get out" job as first-half efforts from Ben Thomson and Paddy James saw Linnets return from Brighton £1,000 better off. Linnets produced what Robinson described as nothing more than a "workmanlike

  • Barry quits after assistant's sacking

    FURIOUS Barry Blankley has quit as Bashley manager in protest over the shock sacking of number two Fraser Quirke. Blankley blasted Bash chiefs for being "cowardly" after they dismissed his assistant on Friday while the 36-year-old striker was on holiday

  • GREAT SCOTT'S LATE SHOW

    SCOTT Partridge struck a dramatic last-gasp winner at Hinckley United to send the unbeaten Terras up to second spot in the Dr Martens Premier Division. And the former Rushden and Diamonds man, who got his chance because of an injury to first choice striker

  • RIDLEY ANSWERS THE BACKBITERS

    IAN Ridley has hit back at critics who claim Weymouth are spending more than they can afford. The Terras chairman says while Steve Claridge's wage bill is more than what was given last season to previous boss Geoff Butler, he says the Wessex Stadium outfit

  • ROSE ADDS COLOUR TO BEES CUP QUEST

    BRIDPORT 2 STREET 0 BRIDPORT kept their FA Cup dreams alive with a comfortable preliminary round success over Street at a sun-drenched St Mary's Field. Goals either side of half-time by Simon Gale and Richard Leach helped bank a winner's cheque of £1,000

  • HAMMERS HIT UNITED FOR SIX

    HAMWORTHY UNITED 5 DORCHESTER UNITED 2 DORCHESTER United boss Kevin Hillier reckons the Hammers will be hard pushed to retain their Dorset Premier League crown after they maintained their 100 per cent record with this big win. "The scoreline wasn't a

  • END OF THE DREAM

    STALBRIDGE 198-6 (7pts) lost to WEYMOUTH 199-6 (18 pts) by four wickets WEYMOUTH saw their title hopes shattered in heart-breaking style on a dramatic last day of the NSA Dorset Premier Division season. Going into their final fixture with Stalbridge at

  • Two-pronged bid for flats scheme

    A BUILDING society is making a two-pronged attempt to win planning permission to convert its Wimborne headquarters into housing. Teachers Building Society has lodged an appeal after East Dorset planners turned down its plans earlier this year to transform

  • Cancer mother finishes triathlon

    A TERMINALLY ill woman bravely battled through a gruelling Dorset triathlon yesterday in an astounding triumph over adversity. Jane Tomlinson, who may have only four months to live, ran, swam and cycled her way round the 70-mile Gatorade Half Ironman

  • More agony over council finances

    WEYMOUTH and Portland Borough Council chiefs today warned that a radical overhaul is still needed to tackle its ongoing financial crisis. They warned that unless some very difficult decisions aremade the council could stumble from one year to the next

  • Don't miss one-off display

    SUPERSTAR skaters will be rocking and rolling at the Dorchester Show next weekend. The world's top team of skateboarders, BMX riders and in-line skaters will be ducking and diving outside the Community Spirit tent, near the entrance to Dorset's biggest

  • Parking charge under spotlight

    THE people of Weymouth and Portland are to be given their say on the resort's car park charges. Council chiefs will ask residents for their views before deciding whether to bump up the prices. Borough car park charges are among the highest in the region

  • Dramatic fall of homeless in borough

    THE number of families living in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation in Weymouth and Portland has fallen dramatically, new figures claim. The borough was facing a homelessness crisis earlier this year after figures revealed that about 50 people

  • Trip to find lost tribe of 'hairy men'

    PLACES are still available for the trip of a lifetime to find a lost tribe of 'hairy men' in north-east India. Explorer John Blashford-Snell, of the Dorset-based Scientific Explor-ation Society, is leading the adventure to Meghalaya in the hope of discovering

  • Men of iron

    A STUNNING debut performance saw Dorset prove its mettle as it greeted top athletes from around the world in the UK's official Ironman world championship qualifier. Sherborne Castle and the surrounding countryside was the perfect host yesterday as thousands

  • Warped world will harm kids

    JEMMA 'Faliraki' Gunning is the irritating little slapper who whipped out her Big Macs during a drink binge at a Greek bar. And promptly got slapped in the nick for indecent behaviour. She may be thicker than a whale omelette - let's face it, she was

  • Mystery tour misery

    I HAVE always maintained that if Christopher Columbus had taken his wife along on his voyages of discovery, it would have taken him at least a couple of years more to discover the New World. Simply because women appear to be obsessed with asking complete