HOLLYWOOD legend Katharine Hepburn shares her birth date with another actress, Hedy Lamarr, and disgraced U.S. politician Spiro Agnew. But not until November, despite what we said in our daily birthdays panel a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks to R.E.D. Halliday from Brighton for spotting that one. Mr Halliday, who tells me he has been collecting obituaries, birthdates and birthdays for 20 years, says Miss Hepburn was born on November 9, 1909, in Hartford, Connecticut. The mistake was made by the agency that supplies the information to us and they were suitably contrite when I pointed it out. Mind you, although Who's Who says Miss Hepburn was born in 1909, three movie reference books I checked gave her birth year as 1907. Anyone know for sure? Whichever is right, happy birthday for November, Kate.

After being whacked for six by Sussex County Cricket Club last week it appears we fumbled the ball in another story.

In our report about old boys going back to Christ's Hospital School near Horsham we said one of them, Dennis Silk, was a former president of the Middlesex Cricket Club. Sloppy fielding that probably had several blazered cricket buffs spluttering in their gin and tonic. MCC stands, of course, for Marylebone Cricket Club. There's a world of difference, says L. Lester from Copthorne who noticed that one. As a punishment I've ordered the miscreant to take charge of cleaning the kit this week to help them remember.

Mr Lester also takes us to task about another sporting matter. A story about a donation to a hospice in memory of Douglas Bidwell made no mention of his real fame in boxing. He was more than just a fan. He was manager of Alan Minter, the former world middleweight champion from Crawley and was in fact his father-in-law.

They serve a funny kind of pudding at Los Amigos restaurant in Hove if the deliciously hilarious misprint in Ahead a couple of Saturdays ago is anything to go by. Alabama Soft Rock Pie was, according to our review, a firm chocolate moose.

Thanks to Bernard and Nita Moseley from Brighton for sharing that one with me. As they said, the moose would have been a better main course with veg and no chocolate, and the mousse should have been saved for dessert.

Embarrassing, like all misprints, but it did make me laugh, too, and I expect a national newspaper with a Funny Ha Ha feature will make a meal of it.

Not funny was another slip that crept in a few days later, since we did exactly the same thing several months ago. The story said the Duke of Kent was to visit Hove but the accompanying picture was of Prince Michael of Kent.

It was spotted by Del, Jeff, Gaz and Paul but it wasn't as you suggested a guessing game for readers as to who was actually coming to open the Old Market Centre last Wednesday. For the record, the Duke did the honours.

And sticking with the royals, in days gone by I dare say the sub-editor who called the Queen HRH in one of our headlines would probably have found himself flung in the Tower of London's darkest dungeon until he had learnt the monarch is always styled Her Majesty. Sorry, Ma'am.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.