FAME and fortune in the FA Cup is a dream that rarely becomes a reality. And for some clubs, failure to win through to the first round proper can affect their entire season. Nationwide Conference side Morecambe, for example, will be relishing Saturday's
MARK Wright heads a list of several big names who have all said they want to become the next Oxford United manager. The former Oxford United, Derby County, Liverpool and England central defender, who hails from Dorchester-on-Thames, says he would love
THE first Jeep model to provide the combination of a diesel engine and automatic transmission goes on sale next month following the UK debut of the 3.1-litre Turbo Diesel version of the big-selling Jeep Grand Cherokee. The all-new five-cylinder Turbo
AN enraged Basil Fawlty bashing his car with a branch is the most momentous motoring moment this century, according to a new poll. The hilarious scene, featuring John Cleese in the TV series Fawlty Towers, topped the poll conducted by NatWest Car Insurance
A Young man who preyed on the elderly was jailed for three and a half years. Shofik Townsend, 22, of St Martin's Road, Rose Hill, Oxford, asked his victims for sponsorship money and then distracted them to steal from their homes, Robert Spencer-Barnard
HAVING taken his Volvo 240 GL past the 300,000 mile mark, it's no surprise that owner Jeff Stevenson wants to buy another one. He's keeping the old car in the family and it will continue to notch up the miles with his wife Wendy at the wheel. Jeff has
SEAT scooped the top award for the first time in the 24-year history of the Caravan Club's Towcar of the Year 2000 competition. The SEAT Toledo V5 beat off competition from more than 50 cars representing 23 manufacturers. At the end of the three-day assessment
HI-TECH cars have been slammed by driver training specialists as an over-complicated risk to safety. The Fleet Driver Training Association is calling on manufacturers to standardise and clarify operation of hi-tech features, and wants dealers to give
Former college principal Trevor Jones, who suffered horrific sky-diving injuries, has reached an out-of-court settlement with his ex-employers. Mr Jones, 51, who was head of West Oxfordshire College at Witney, is said to be happy with the outcome agreed
THE Consumers' Association has taken its battle for cheaper cars into the heart of the enemy camp - the London Motor Show. While manufacturers have been showing off sleek new models, the association members have manned a stand under the slogan "The Great
AS the clocks go back this weekend to mark the end of British Summer Time, motoring experts have issued a timely warning about the dangers of 'the twilight zone.' The period from 4-6pm is the deadliest time on UK roads, with more than a quarter of all
Entrepreneurs are hitting out at high street bank for forcing them to pay for a new method of processing credit card payments. The complaint against NatWest comes after Abingdon-based Tack Shed Ltd, which runs a mobile tack shop and tours local horse
A cash boost of more than £71,000 is on its way to four charities - from a spinster who lived in "genteel poverty". Mary Southall died in February, aged 89. Now her will has been finalised, leaving £17,850 each to four charities in Wantage. The cash will
WESTON-super-Mare was renamed Weston-super-Madness at the weekend when about 1,000 moto-cross competitors descended on the Somerset resort. And among them were a large contingent from Oxfordshire. It's easy to see why the once-a-year beach race has been
Movie fans have received a fresh blow in their battle for a cinema. The Vale of White Horse is pressing ahead with plans to demolish Abingdon's Regal Cinema with the aim of developing the town's west central area into houses, shops and offices. The move
The daughter of an Oxford don stepped out of an Indian prison today, cleared of charges of drug possession for which she spent 586 days behind bars. "It feels wonderful to be free again. It's like my birthday today. I feel like I'm born again to a new
Outraged Trudy Thompson branded metal traffic barriers "booby traps" after one of them smashed into her car as she drove over it. Oxfordshire County Council engineers apologised to Miss Thompson after the retractable bollard shot up into the vehicle chassis
Years ago, tourist guides used to tell their punters that the main difference between Oxford and arch-rival Cambridge was that Oxford was a large town with an industrial life of its own, while Cambridge's economy was totally dependent on its university
Imagine the scene. You walk down a bus-free Queen Street, Oxford, past a transformed Bonn Square - with no-one swearing or asking you for change while swigging down a can of Special Brew - and enter a smart new shopping centre. As you make your way through
Controversial plans to turn the Oxford Castle site into a hotel will go ahead despite a massive petition against it. The £16m scheme, from developers the Osborne Group, has an 87-room hotel as the main use for the former prison and castle site in New
AN INTERNET company set up by two Oxford University students has launched an online marketplace to allow small businesses to buy products and services via the Web. Mondus.com, based at the Oxford Innovation Centre in Mill Street, Osney, says its system
WITNEY Town's record-breaking goalscorer Carl Henry has gone on trial at Oxford United - and is set to play for the reserves against Gillingham at the Manor Ground tonight (7.30). The 26-year-old marksman was among five triallists who trained with United
FORMER Oxford United manager Denis Smith threw his hat into the ring as the speculation mounts on who will become the new lord of the Manor. Smith, who lives at Cumnor, has been out of work since being sacked by West Brom just before the start of this
CARETAKER manager Mickey Lewis was one of the first to admit: "I want the job." And he has the backing of a great number of United players. Some insisted it wasn't just a case of "better the devil you know" but that Lewis had the respect of the team,
KOREAN car maker Hyundai has unveiled a new bigger and safer Accent. Available in the UK early in 2000, the new Accent will be available as a three or five-door hatchback. The new car has grown in length and width over the previous model and all models
Dozens of students from Burford College attended the funeral of teenager Christopher Couch. Christopher, 18, died when a Fiat car in which he was a passenger left the road and hit a tree in Northwood Crescent, Carterton. He lived at Scholars Close in
Oxford United's half-built stadium at Minchery Farm took a step nearer completion today after a High Court judge threw out demands for a review of how permission was granted. Developers Pentith Ltd had appealed against the decision to give United's owner
French visitors will be treated to British beef as part of a town twinning trip next month - despite the French government's illegal ban on the product. But Didcot organisers of the visit by dignitaries from Meylan, south-west France, said the controversy
BBC soccer presenters Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen have invoked the name of their ITV-transferred former colleague Desmond Lynam - to help the fight against drinking and driving. The two former soccer stars have linked with brewers' organisation The Portman
EUROPE's number one bike show, the International Motor Cycle Show returns to Birmingham's NEC from November 5 -14. Visitors can expect to see the official World and UK launches of over 50 new models. They will include Honda's new VTE 1000 SP, Suzuki's
A DEAL to supply 450 Volvo S80s to Virgin Atlantic Airways will ensure that passengers in Virgin's Upper Class arrive at the airport in maximum comfort, but with a minimum impact on the environment. The cars, which will be supplied to Tristar Cars, Virgin's
WOODSTOCK Harriers totally dominated the men's race of the Abingdon Marathon on Sunday to scoop a triple medal haul. Simon Lund made an impressive breakaway in the later stages of the race and took gold in 2hrs 33mins 39secs after clocking a blistering
OXFORD City's defence have issued an FA Cup warning to Wycombe Wanderers striker Jermaine McSporran -'Underestimate us at your peril!' Wycombe's 22-year-old hitman, who moved to Adams Park from City over the summer, has called City's defence 'slow', and
A 70-year-old grandmother has won £103,000 playing bingo. The woman, from Banbury, who does not want to be identified, scooped the jackpot on Monday while playing the national bingo game against players from around the country. She is the first big jackpot
Entrepreneurs Hester and John Pollock aim to spice up shoppers' lives with an Oriental gift store. Colours, based in Abingdon's East St Helen Street, offers exclusive designs and gifts, including paintings created by Chinese peasant workers. The couple
