Archive

Oxford United fans look set to outnumber York City supporters by some way at Wembley on May 16. Ticket details for the Blue Square Premier play-off final(5pm) have been announced. And Oxford have been given an initial allocation of 37,500

SOME music fans might not have heard of the latest Oxford band to hit the big time. But thanks to their bizarre name – and their catchy “punked-up jazz” – the Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band should be hard to forget. After raucous gigs

Oxfordshire community groups have high hopes for a national campaign aiming to use the Olympics to inspire people to volunteer. The 25th Hour campaign encourages people to give up 60 minutes of their time in the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympic

Members of the public and the Royal British Legion are again expected to line Headley Way, in Headington, Oxford, to pay their respects when the bodies of Corporal Harvey Holmes, of 1st Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, and two soldiers from 21

Oxford United have been given an initial allocation of 37,500 tickets for Wembley. Tickets for the Play-off final against York City on Sunday May 16 (5pm) will cost £35 in Level 1 and Level 5 with under 16s priced £15, and £40 in Level 2 (Club

A florist who used to supply bouquets of flowers to The Queen has celebrated her 102nd birthday. Irene Piper, who lives at St Andrew's Care Home, in London Road, Headington, Oxford, was handed bunches of flowers and chocolates by friends as

Fewer than one in six children in care in Oxfordshire left school with five good GCSEs last year. The Government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families has released information about how well so-called ‘looked after’ children do in

Otters could soon be moving into West Oxford thanks to a new wetland wildlife habitat. The area, on the site of the old play park behind West Oxford Community Centre, was officially opened this week – children are pictured celebrating the unveiling

STUDENTS have put the finishing touches to a state-of-the-art hair and beauty salon that started life as a derelict classroom. Just five years ago Bicester Community College, in Queens Avenue, launched a hairdressing course as part of a scheme

A man was today jailed for life for murdering a 67-year-old woman near Gawcott. Benjamin Harry Radojevic, 25, of Hillesden Road, Gawcott, was given the life sentence at Reading Crown Court for the murder of Sally Hingston in August 2009. He was convicted

FOR Helen Johnson the death of a family friend was the catalyst to re-think her life and make huge changes. And she hasn’t looked back. Mother-of-two Mrs Johnson, 35, was stuck in a rut, working long hours for an Oxford publishing firm, constantly

CHILDREN dodged rain and hail but still enjoyed a fun-packed fair to celebrate the start of May. Almost 1,000 people turned out for the May Day Fair at Carterton Recreation Ground and Brownes Hall yesterday. Highlights included a fairground

Abingdon anti-virus computer software firm Sophos has sold a majority stake to private equity investment fund Apax Partners in a deal valuing the business at $830m (£547m), netting founders Jan Hruska and Peter Lammer an estimated £197m windfall.

OXFORDSHIRE community groups have high hopes for a national campaign aiming to use the Olympics to inspire people to volunteer. The 25th Hour campaign encourages people to give up 60 minutes of their time in the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympic

At Oxford Crown Court today, Sean Freaney, 50, denied murdering his partner Lisa Consterdine, a 48-year-old mother-of-two, who was found dead in her home in Purslane Drive, bicester, in March. Freaney, also of Purslane Drive, was remanded in

Members of the public and the Royal British Legion are again expected to line Headley Way, in Headington, Oxford, to pay their respects when the bodies of Corporal Harvey Holmes, of 1st Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, and two soldiers from 21 Engineer

A 36-year-old woman was assaulted, suffering minor injuries to her face, following a row with another woman last Wednesday in Cromwell Road, Banbury, shortly after 8pm. Anyone with information about the assault should call Pc Anthony Cossar on 08458

Residents in almshouses in Church Street, Sutton Courtenay, suffered a two-hour power cut when a rotten tree fell on a cable yesterday at about 5pm. Duncan MacDonald, a spokesman for Southern Electric, said: “A rotten tree came down and brought down

A FLORIST who used to supply bouquets of flowers to The Queen has celebrated her 102nd birthday. Irene Piper, who lives at St Andrew's Care Home, in London Road, Headington, Oxford, was handed bunches of flowers and chocolates by friends as

A TAXI firm owner has cleared one of his drivers of any wrongdoing following an incident in East Oxford. Royal Cars’ boss Naiz Mohammed launched an internal investigation and suspended the driver after Sean Richards, 23, was injured shortly

Oxford United have been given an initial allocation of 37,500 tickets for Wembley. Tickets for the Play-off final against York City on Sunday May 16 (5pm) will cost £35 in Level 1 and Level 5 with under 16s priced £15, and £40 in Level 2 (Club

A NEW footpath has been built linking a railway station and shopping centre in Bicester – but watch out for the telegraph pole. Builders have constructed a path between Bicester Town station and Bicester Village as part of the designer outlet’s car park

A MUM determined to buy her dream £1m home by doing odd jobs for £1 in the evenings is 1.5 per cent of the way to her achieving her goal. Chrissi Sharkey, 29, spotted the idyllic five-bedroom Edwardian mansion in Kennington last year and became fixated

HUNDREDS of residents in Oxford East could be left without a voice on election day because their postal vote packs were not sent out on time. A total of 657 were sent out late by Oxford City Council and delays could have been made worse by the Bank Holiday

OTTERS could soon be moving into West Oxford thanks to a new wetland wildlife habitat. The area, on the site of the old play park behind West Oxford Community Centre, was officially opened this week – children are pictured celebrating the unveiling.

FEWER than one in six children in care in Oxfordshire left school with five good GCSEs last year. The Government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families has released information about how well so-called ‘looked after’ children do in everything

IT wouldn’t be a proper election without them, and the Monster Raving Loony Party was seeking votes in Witney yesterday. Supporters Ken Hanks and George Ridgeon were on hand to lend their support to party leader Alan “Howling Laud” Hope — who

AN RAF sergeant who beat testicular cancer is getting set to tackle two mammoth charity challenges before he gets posted to Afghanistan. Sgt Pete Hicks, who is based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with the condition 18 months ago but has

RINGING on doorbells and knocking on doors has become part and parcel of daily life for Mick Haines over the past month. The independent city council candidate has been calling on 100 houses a day, six days a week. Mr Haines is standing for election

SUPERMARKET chain Tesco is making a second attempt to open a store on the site of the former Friar pub in Oxford’s Marston Road. Plans for a two-storey Tesco Express to replace the boarded-up pub were thrown out by Oxford City Council’s north east area

IT may not be Biblical times or the Sea of Galilee, but Oxford worshippers hope their take on feeding the 5,000 – or at least 2,000 – will help spread God’s word. For the eighth year, people from 20 churches across the city are coming together to serve

FOR Helen Johnson the death of a family friend was the catalyst to re-think her life and make huge changes. And she hasn’t looked back. Mother-of-two Mrs Johnson, 35, was stuck in a rut, working long hours for an Oxford publishing firm, constantly stressed

DRUG rehabilitation workers in Oxfordshire say a call for heroin to be prescribed on the NHS is “morally wrong”. And they added that the current common rehabilitation system, which provides users with a substitute drug, was a waste of time and money.

STUDENTS have put the finishing touches to a state-of-the-art hair and beauty salon that started life as a derelict classroom. Just five years ago Bicester Community College, in Queens Avenue, launched a hairdressing course as part of a scheme to ensure

SOME music fans might not have heard of the latest Oxford band to hit the big time. But thanks to their bizarre name – and their catchy “punked-up jazz” – the Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band should be hard to forget. After raucous gigs around Oxfordshire

A FORMER Abingdon army captain whose son asked her, ‘Will Daddy get blown up?’ when her husband was fighting in Afghanistan, has spoken of the difficulties facing service families. Sarah Steel, founder of Old Station Nurseries, based in Faringdon

Harwell are just one point away from being crowned North Berks League Division 2 champions after beating Lambourn Sports Res 2-0, with goals from Mike Yardley and Jamie Clark. Childrey United kept alive their slim title chances with a 4-1 win against

Kennington United retained the Autotype UTV League's Ridgeway Cup with a controversial 3-0 final win over Punchbowl Pirates, who had two players sent off and their manager ordered from the dugout, writes Tim Siret. A bumper crowd of more

Greene King Oxford & District League Veteran Pete Hitchman showed that age is no barrier as he clanged off 17 dolls for Cross Keys in their 2-1 win at Quarry Gate in Section 3, writes ANDY BEAL. The 73-year-old missed with his 13th stick and

Highfield Social Club completed a trophy treble with a 3-1 win over Kings Sutton in the Banbury & District Sunday League's John Wood Cup final. Having already won the Ian Willoughby Cup and the Reg Atkin Shield, Highfield took the lead in their quest

Pete Soane was the hat-trick hero as Faringdon Town lifted the North Berks Charity Shield with a 4-3 extra time victory over Drayton at Abingdon United. Soane’s magnificent treble included the extra-time winner. Martyn Hathaway also scored for Faringdon

Bishops Itchington lifted the Banbury Charity Cup following a 3-0 win against ten-man ABK Sports at Easington Sports FC. Following a goalless first half, Bishops went ahead three minutes after the break when Jordan Cox fired in from 25 yards. ABK

GREENE KING OXFORD & DISTRICT LEAGUE Section 1: Three Pigeons 0, New Club A 3; Six Bells C 3, Gladiators A 0; Garsington Sports A 0, Red Lion A 3; Cricketers B 3, Rowing Machine 0; Chequers A 0, The George 3. Section 2: The Dogwood 0, Woodman Inn 3

Jay Morris bagged a late brace as Garsington lifted the Oxfordshire Senior League's President’s Cup with a thrilling 4-3 extra-time victory against nine-man Hink-sey at Kidlington FC. Carl Bloomfield and Jelroy Constant gave Garsington a 2-0 lead, but

Bayards Hill Primary School (Barton) finished third in the ESFA Under 11 Small Sided national finals for the Girls 7-a-Side Schools’ Cup at Watford FC Academy. Having won the Oxford City, Oxfordshire and South West regional rounds, they took the minor

James Smith struck twice as Cheney (Oxford) came from behind to lift the Oxfordshire Under 12 Cup with a 3-1 win over Larkmead (Abingdon) in the final at Letcombe FC. James Shaw fired Larkmead in front midway through the first half. But Smith equalised

Vale of White Horse Under 11s face Lewisham in the Southern Counties Cup final at Didcot Town on Saturday (11am). They will be seeking to give manager Dave Stemp, who is retiring after 30 years in charge of the team, a winning send-off.

Callum Mackinnon hit a four-timer as Oxfordshire Under 18s clinched the runners-up spot in the South West Counties Youth Championship with a 5-2 win over Berks & Bucks at Henley Town. Oxon led 1-0 at half-time through an own goal, but Harold Ageyman

A PIONEERING dance group is one of a dozen set to perform in a national event at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Anjali’s Youth Dance Company pipped hundreds of other groups to the post to secure a spot at the U Dance showcase on July 4. The Banbury-based

A man has denied murdering Bicester woman Lisa Consterdine. Sean Freaney, 50, of Purslane Drive, Bicester, is alleged to have murdered Ms Consterdine, 48. He denied the charge at Oxford Crown Court this morning, and has been remanded

YOUNGSTERS have been testing out new play equipment after Princess Diana Park was given a £150,000 makeover. Banbury mayor Tina Wren officially opened the revamped part, which has two play areas and a skateboard area. The park is the second in the town

Oxfordshire anti-virus software firm Sophos has sold a majority holding to a private equity company in a deal valuing the business at £547m, it was announced today. The investment by Apax Partners will net the founders of the business, Jan Hruska

A STUDENT could see one of his designs in toy shops up and down the country. Duncan Street, 24, designed a tag which will be used on a cuddly toy for Banbury-based charity Dogs For the Disabled. The charity is in talks with a national toy chain and

A BANBURY guide celebrated the organisation’s centenary with the trip of a lifetime. Emily Idziaczek, 15, was one of 16 Guides from across the country to take part in a five-day trip to Lapland. As part of her adventure she got to try cross-country

AS local councillors and parliamentary candidates gear up for the last few days of electioneering — so is a group of local scouts. Adderbury Scout Group held its own election on Tuesday — the culmination of a two-month politics project. The youngsters

CANDIDATES have taken part in three hustings events, two organised by churches across Banbury and Bicester and a third by sixth formers at Banbury School, who invited potential MPs standing for the North Oxfordshire seat into the classroom for a Question

The former Alden Press building in Witney has been sold to a manufacturer and major Oxfordshire employer. Ninety staff from Hydac Technology will uproot from their current base in Charlbury to the prominent 48,000 sq ft site on De Havilland Way in September

WITNEY & DISTRICT FA Rob Marsh scored the only goal as Wychwood Forest wrapped up the Division 1 title with a 1-0 victory over their only challengers FC Chequers, writes ANTHONY BARLOW. Having already secured promotion last week, Wychwood won this

Quarry 09 landed the John Fathers Oxfordshire Junior Shield in their first season after a 2-0 victory over Witney & District FA Premier Division champions Hailey at the Polythene UK Stadium. Quarry, who formed in the summer and are one win

OXFORD MAIL GIRLS LEAGUE OLIVIA Gardner and Jess Daniels both hammered hat-tricks as champions Kidlington defeated Cholsey Bluebirds 10-0 in the Under 13 A Division. Zoe Taylor (2), Beth Hawtin and Hayley Clements completed the scoring spree. Earlier

AEA Technology 23.2 BMW 3082 Electrocomponents 221.1 Gladstone 33.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 94.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.4 Oxford Catalyst 67.5 Oxford Instruments 284.5 Reed Elsevier 512.5 RM 172 RPS Group 227.2 Courtesy

GILES SPORTS WITNEY YOUTH LEAGUE Frankie Cato (2), Zak Oliver and Corey Donohoe were on target as Tower Hill beat Bourton Rovers 4-0 in the Under 10 A League. In the Under 12 A League, Luke Coleman (3), Luke Wetherill, Chay Buckingham and Henry Ashton

Dead pets are one of the most unusual items taken with them by house movers, with many choosing to dig up their cat or dog from the back garden and transport it to their new home to be reburied. One woman admitted to having unearthed and reburied her

Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was assaulted in Banbury. The 36-year-old woman was assaulted in Cromwell Road, following a 'verbal altercation' with another woman. She suffered injuries to her face, though these were not serious

A MAN has denied murdering Bicester woman Lisa Consterdine. Sean Freaney, 50, of Purslane Drive, Bicester, is alleged to have murdered Ms Consterdine, 48. He denied the charge at Oxford Crown Court this morning, and has been remanded

Two people have been charged in connection with a burglary in Dorchester-on Thames in April. Christopher Ria, 19, of Audley Street, Reading, has been charged with burglary. He has also asked for seven further offences in Reading to be taken into consideration

A free Sky package including Sky Sports is on offer to anyone who completes on a new David Wilson home between now and when the World Cup kicks off on June 11. Julia Higgins, sales manager for David Wilson Mercia, said: “This year’s World Cup

Oxfordshire racing driver Tim Harvey and Michael Caine shared race victories at Brands Hatch as the Porsche Carrera Cup GB delivered some thrilling racing in tough conditions at the famous Kent track. At the end of the weekend, Harvey left

OXFORDSHIRE anti-virus software firm Sophos has sold a majority holding to a private equity company in a deal valuing the business at £547m, it was announced today. The investment by Apax Partners will net the founders of the business, Jan Hruska and

AEA Technology 22.6 BMW 3172 Electrocomponents 224.6 Gladstone 33.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 94.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.5 Oxford Catalysts 67.5 Oxford Instruments 286.5 Reed Elsevier 516

An informal networking event for professionals is being held in Oxford. Organised by accountants Grant Thornton, it is aimed at the established and rising managers of the Oxford professional community. Having had a successful launch which attracted

Oxford United will face York City in the Blue Square Premier Promotion Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday May 16th The final will kick off at 5pm. The club are currently awaiting full details from the Football Conference on how these tickets

Traffic has been forced to go slow on the A34 north of Oxford this morning following a crash between a car and a lorry. The collision took place after 7am on the southbound carriageway, close to the Peartree interchange. One lane remains

Traffic has been forced to go slow on the A34 north of Oxford this morning following a crash between a car and a lorry. The collision took place after 7am on the southbound carriageway, close to the Peartree interchange. One lane remains

The celebrations were loud last night, but so was the message from United supporters – only half the job has been done! More than 11,000 jubilant Oxford United fans filled the Kassam Stadium with songs and chants at the final whistle yesterday

THE celebrations were loud last night, but so was the message from U’s supporters – only half the job has been done! More than 11,000 jubilant Oxford United fans filled the Kassam Stadium with songs and chants at the final whistle yesterday

Whisper it... Oxford United are on the brink. Smiles at the Kassam Stadium have been few and far between in recent years. Being a United fan has not been much fun of late – not much fun at all. But, for once – for at least a few days – Oxford supporters