Archive

  • Teenager killed in car crash

    A 19-year-old man from Carterton has died in a car crash near Burford. Emergency services were called to the B4020 Shilton Road shortly after 5.30pm on Tuesday evening to a crash involving a blue Citroen C3. Two others suffered minor

  • School builds green future with solar panels

    PUPILS took a green leap into the future when solar panels were installed at their school – thanks to a project launched by a parent. Edward Feild School in Kidlington has installed 22 panels in time for the new school term. The project

  • Women join the red hatters' tea party

    “WHEN I am an old woman I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.” That is the line which has inspired the setting up of a new social group for women from across Oxfordshire. Red Hat Societies have been springing up

  • Ali Booker's son skydives for charity

    THE teenage son of radio star Ali Booker, who died of cancer two months ago, has taken up his mum’s fundraising legacy by jumping out of a plane. Doug Booker, 18, was joined by two pals from King Alfred’s School, Wantage, as part of a group of 13 skydivers

  • Witney's first fun day rocks

    WITNEY traders received a boost when the town staged its first fun day dedicated to attracting more visitors. More than 100 businesses took part in Saturday’s event, which included a treasure hunt, live music and street entertainment. Janette Reed

  • Staff fears as crisis hits Connaught

    Workers at the Banbury base of social housing firm Connaught have been left fearing for their future amidst reports the company is on the brink of collapse. Shares in the company, which has its environmental division in George Street, were suspended

  • Local shares (PM)

    AEA Technology 16.25 BMW 3641 Electrocomps 220.2 Nationwide Accident Repair 84.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.8 Oxford Catalysts 73 Oxford Instruments 364.5 Reed Elsevier 537.25 RM 136.5 RPS Group 178.7 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Missing Banbury man is found

    A MAN who went missing from his home in Banbury was found safe and well after a police hunt. Mark Addison, 26, was last seen heading to work from Burns Road, Easington, on Saturday morning. He was yesterday found in north Oxfordshire.

  • HOCKEY: County Cup this weekend

    Banbury host the men’s Oxon Cup on Saturday. The group stages will be at Bloxham School before the action moves to Banbury Hockey Club at 1.30pm. Banbury are hoping to retain the title they won last season, when they beat Henley 4-2 in the final. The

  • Missing man found safe

    A man who went missing from his home in Banbury has been found safe and well. Earlier today, police issued an appeal for help in tracing Mark Addison, 26, who was last seen heading to work from Burns Road, Easington, on Saturday morning.

  • Event sparks up community spirit

    HUNDREDS partied the night away to the sounds of a Jamaican disco – in Donnington, Oxford. Members of the Donnington Neighbourhood Tenants and Residents Association (DNTRA) wanted to spark community spirit in the area, which they say has dwindled over

  • Patient’s pals shave heads to raise £3,416

    A CANCER sufferer who inspired pub-goers to shave their heads as he started his chemotherapy has handed a £3,416 cheque to an Oxford hospital. When doctors told builder Frank Thorne, 50, of Allnatt Avenue, Wallingford, that the treatment for

  • Flasher strikes in Banbury

    A teenage boy exposed himself to a woman in Banbury. The youngster, aged between 13 and 15, shouted ‘excuse me’ at the 52-year-old victim, who saw him touching himself inappropriately with his trousers down when she turned around. The incident happened

  • Two arrested over Wendlebury attack

    A 60-year-old man needed hospital treatment after being attacked in his own home. Thwe two attackers forced their way into the house in Meadow View in Wendlebury, near Bicester, at about 5.10pm on Thursday night. Police only released details today.

  • Bunkfest hailed as the best yet

    IT started off with a marquee...and it just got out of hand! That’s how Bunkfest organisers explained how the nine-year-old festival grew into one of Oxfordshire's largest live music and dance events, attracting 20,000 visitors over three days

  • Plea issued over missing Banbury man

    A vulnerable man has gone missing from his home in Banbury. Mark Addison, 26, was last seen heading to work from Burns Road, Easington, on Saturday morning. He is white, about 6ft 3in tall, with thin, short dark brown hair and blue eyes.

  • Vulnerable Banbury man goes missing

    A vulnerable man has gone missing from his home in Banbury. Mark Addison, 26, was last seen heading to work from Burns Road, in Easington, on Saturday morning. He is white, around 6ft 3in tall, with thin, short dark brown hair and blue eyes

  • DARTS: Revenge sweet as Florence Park take title

    Florence Park Community Centre A are the ODAA Summer League Premier champions for the first time after they avenged last week’s defeat against Nuffield Bar. Clare Bywaters gave Park an early lead when she beat Cindy Chalmers. The visitors

  • HOCKEY: Banbury start delights new coach

    Banbury's men’s team got their pre-season underway with an impressive start under new coach Stuart Armstrong. Despite having a depleted squad, Banbury were pleased with a 3-1 win over Midlands Premier Side Coventry and North Warwicks. From Coventry’

  • 20mph limits a change for the better say Oxford cyclists

    MOTORISTS might not always observe Oxford’s 20mph limits but cycling campaigners say the change has improved life for cyclists. An Oxford Mail speed check on Wednesday found 81 per cent of drivers using Morrell Avenue in East Oxford were exceeding the

  • Boy, 13, exposed himself

    Police are appealing for witnesses after a boy exposed himself to a woman in Banbury. At about 2.30pm on Saturday, a 52-year-old woman was walking down the alleyway between Lennox Gardens and Broughton Road, when she walked past a teenage boy

  • CRICKET: Over the Moon

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Divs 6-10 Horspath 4th secured the Division 10 title by defeating Didcot 4th to complete an incredible season for the village club. Their five-wicket victory at Didcot ensured all four Horspath sides won their respective

  • Arcane Festival proves to be a feast of fun

    WITH just 500 revellers and only a handful of bands it was a far cry from huge festivals like Reading or Glastonbury. But to music-lovers and artists it was the highlight of the summer. The fourth annual Arcane Festival, which took place on Saturday

  • CRICKET: Jefferis stars as Bagpuize stay up

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Division 3 Kingston Bagpuize beat Dinton 2nd to stay up – at the expense of Oxford 3rd. Ben Jefferis was their saviour, taking 6-59 as Dinton were all out for 155, of which Mark Ludlow scored 71. Earlier, the home side

  • CRICKET: Nondies win at last

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Division 5 Andy Haynes took 5-55 to set up relegated Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts 2nd’s first win of the season. He was the only bowler to take a wicket in Banbury 3rd’s 194-5, during which Adam Worth compiled 102

  • CRICKET: Cropredy claim title

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Division 4 Cropredy are champions after beating Cumnor 2nd. Richard Lynch took 3-27 as Cumnor limped to 123 all out. Ed Somerton (54no) and Pete Cooling (34no) then saw the visitors to 127-1. Cumnor 2nd 2pts, Cropredy

  • Car stolen after Eynsham break-in

    Police today appealed for information following two burglaries in Eynsham. On Sunday night, thieves broke into an address in Fruitlands and stole a briefcase, laptop, credit cards and keys to a black BMW. They subsequently stole the vehicle. The

  • CRICKET: Hartley's heroics

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Division 2 Seamer Danny Hartley produced figures of 7-24 from a devastating 12-over spell as Abingdon Vale beat Banbury 2nd by nine wickets. Hartley was supported by Graham Charlesworth, who took 3-15 from 12.3 overs as

  • Two bailed over Wendlebury burglary

    A 60-year-old man needed hospital treatment after being attacked in his own home. The two attackers forced their way into the house in Meadow View, Wendlebury, at about 5.10pm on Thursday. Police only released details today. The victim was left

  • New SOS sensory garden opens

    MUM-of-three Sophie Edeson got a lovely surprise on her son’s first day at school – the opening of a brand new sensory garden. Her son William, two, has learning difficulties and physical disabilities, and has just started at Kingfisher School in Abingdon

  • RUGBY UNION: Banbury lose opener

    Midlands 1 West Banbury Bulls fell to a 33-15 defeat at Walsall. Bulls trailed 15-10 and 20-15, but could not claw it back. Mike Smith slotted a first-half penalty and converted a try from flanker Sean Bannister soon after the restart. Wing

  • New head pledges uniform crackdown

    DIDCOT Girls’ School’s new headteacher Rachael Warwick has vowed to be strict on uniform and punctuality at the start of the new academic year. Mrs Warwick, who has joined the school from Bartholomew School, Eynsham, hailed the progress the

  • RUGBY UNION: Payne at the double for Henley

    National 2 South Matt Payne bagged two tries to fire Henley Hawks to a 36-16 victory over Taunton at Dry Leas. The No 8 gave a man-of-the-match performance as five-try Hawks made an encouraging start to their campaign. Full back Gary Kingdom kicked

  • CRICKET: Downs battle back

    MP Sports Cherwell League - match of the day Brad Sutherland took 7-60 and top-scored with 42, but still finished on the losing side as Oxford Downs beat Oxford 2nd by 18 runs in Division 1. Downs needed to win to be sure of staying

  • CRICKET: Ups and downs

    MP Sports Cherwell League As no Cherwell area team has been relegated from the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League, the top five divisions will see two sides promoted and only one going down. There will be at least two teams relegated from

  • Dad cracked baby's skull, jury is told

    A THREE-month-old baby was left with a fractured skull, broken ribs and a broken ankle after a “deliberate” attack by her father, a jury heard yesterday. The tot, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital

  • Police link spate of burglaries

    POLICE are linking three burglaries in south Oxfordshire at the weekend where thieves made off with thousands of pounds worth of possessions. A house was broken into in Mead Walk, Didcot, on Sunday night and a blue Ford KA was stolen, along with a handbag

  • RUGBY UNION: Witney get off to flier

    South West 1 East Witney ran in five tries to defeat Marlow 27-8 at a jubilant Hailey Road and get their campaign off to a flier. The bonus-point victory puts Witney top of the table, although they will find it much harder to stay there. Marlow had

  • CRICKET: Champs end in rampant style

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Division 1 Champions Horspath bid farewell to the MP Sports Cherwell League in style by thrashing runners-up Shipton-under-Wychwood, as if to prove their status as the league’s best side. Shipton succumbed for a meagre

  • DARTS: Oxon boost for London opener

    World No 1 Deta Hedman appears for the Ladies A team when Oxfordshire play their first game in Division 1 of the Riley’s British Inter Counties Championship this weekend. Oxon are away to newly-promoted London. And after finishing fourth last season

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 16.1 BMW 3643 Electrocomps 221.7 Nationwide Accident Repair 84.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.8 Oxford Catalyst 73 Oxford Instruments 364 Reed Elsevier 536.75 RM 138.75 RPS Group 175.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Councillors waste our money on bad ideas

    Several recent items in your news pages highlight the sheer incompetence of our local councillors. First, the county council asks council taxpayers to tell it how to slash £200m over the next five years. Even if we ignore the fact that councillors should

  • TV report was one-sided

    Anyone who watched the BBC Panorama programme about the Israeli massacre aboard the aid ship Mavi Marmara could well have been left thinking Israel was the victim. There was no mention of the fact that Israel’s terrorist action against the flotilla was

  • ON YER BIKE: You can't beat a Brompton

    Like an impatient child, I had gone on about wanting a Brompton folding bike every day for six months. Then, quite unexpectedly, my wife gave me my best birthday present ever: a beautiful, red Brompton. Bromptons really are a marvel of British engineering

  • COMMENT: Band together

    VILLAGERS in the north of the county are right to band together to test the case for a new high-speed rail service. Their areas could be changed considerably. By banding together they will have a stronger voice and should be consulted

  • RUGBY UNION: Quins lacked creativity

    Oxford Harlequins director of rugby John Brodley described the Bridgwater result as “really disappointing”. He said: “I thought we won enough ball at first phase possession to be able to create more than that. “We really lacked any accuracy in our passing

  • RUGBY UNION: Hewitt seals Chinnor draw

    National 3 South West Ben Hewitt kicked seven penalties to earn Chinnor a 21-21 draw at new boys Newton Abbot. The fly half slotted his final kick to level the scores with four minutes left. Flanker Sam Jones was Chinnor’s outstanding player, making

  • CRICKET: Twenty pipped in semi

    MP Sports Cherwell League - Derek Primett Cup Banbury Twenty slipped to an 18-run defeat at home to fellow Division 2 side Leighton Buzzard Town in the semi-finals on Sunday. Leighton made 188-8 after electing to bat first in a match reduced to 27

  • RUGBY UNION: Flat Quins fall to Bridgwater

    Oxford Harlequins 9, Bridgwater & Albion 28 A surprisingly flat display saw Oxford Harlequins end their opening National 3 South West clash well-beaten. Quins failed to score a try for the first time since November 2008 and lacked the fluency and

  • Villages unite to fight off high speed rail link

    FIVE villages in north Oxfordshire have banded together to fight the proposed high-speed Rail route through the county. The High-Speed Rail 2 (HS2) line was proposed last year to provide a fast train link between London and Birmingham by 2025

  • Why should we foot the bill for Pope's visit?

    Am I alone in thinking that it’s very wrong for the British taxpayer to be expected to pay the estimated £10-£12m cost of Pope Benedict’s forthcoming visit? At a time when we’re braced for the most savage spending cuts in a generation, and with thousands

  • Basic economics of the bank bail-out

    If John Sanders (Oxford Mail letters August 30) really believes that the “Labour Government doled out £850bn to rescue the banks” then I fear he needs a lesson in basic economics. The sums actually doled out were £76bn to buy the shares in

  • Too many noughts, Mr Mitchell

    There’s not much good news in the current financial climate, but I have some for Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell. He claims (Oxford Mail letters, September 3) that the national debt of one trillion pounds is a ‘one followed by fifteen

  • CRICKET: Charlbury victory boosts survival hopes

    OCA League Divisions 4-9 WITH the Division 4 title race decided, attention turned to the foot of the table, where Charlbury 2nd gave themselves a chance of avoiding the drop with a four-wicket win at Brill. Alan Weaver took 4-14 as Brill were shot out

  • Boy born with 12 fingers and toes

    A BABY has amazed doctors after he was born with 12 fingers and 12 toes. Harry Meleady-Green’s condition – postaxial polydactyly – will require a six-hour operation to fix if his parents, Emma, 27, and Michael, 28, decide to go ahead with it. All the

  • Have your say on how county council cuts budget

    RESIDENTS can have their say on how Oxfordshire County Council should cut £200m from its budget at the first of a series of meetings tonight. The council is preparing to cut the budget over the next five years and wants to hear the public’s view on what

  • Temple Cowley Pools decision to be re-examined

    CONTROVERSIAL plans to demolish Temple Cowley Pools will be re-examined at a special meeting later this month. Oxford City Council’s executive board last week agreed to demolish the pools in Temple Road as part of a £16.8m scheme to create

  • United's play-off heroes get a warm reception

    PLAYERS and staff at Oxford United attended a special County Hall reception last night in honour of their promotion last May. The U’s sealed their return to the Football League by beating York City in the play-off final at Wembley. Players,

  • Showman's never missed St Giles Fair

    SHOWMAN John Nichols is one of the mainstays of the St Giles Fair. He’s been part of the furniture since he was a babe in arms – 73 years ago. Mr Nichols, who turns 74 next week, is the third generation of showmen in his family to visit the city each

  • COMMENT: Paedophiles have no place in RAF

    IT is inconceivable that the RAF could continue to employ helicopter engineer Simon Radcliffe after he was caught grooming a ‘girl’ over the Internet. He may have spent time on tour and be scheduled to go to Afghanistan, but he must be dishonourably

  • Judge tells MoD not to sack RAF child sex pervert

    A HELICOPTER engineer who downloaded child pornography at his RAF base walked free from court yesterday as a judge asked defence chiefs not to kick him out of the service. Simon Radcliffe, 26, was also caught trying to groom what he thought

  • Ex-Oxford United winger Nelthorpe faces prison

    Former Oxford United player Craig Nelthorpe has been told he could face jail. The left winger, who is now at Gateshead, has appeared at York Crown Court, along with his former York City teammates Michael Gash, Michael Rankine and Michael Ingham

  • Just watch Craddock go, says Oxford boss Wilder

    Oxford United manager Chris Wilder felt new striker Tom Craddock did well on his debut – but said there’s a lot more to come from him. Both Craddock, who joined from Luton on a three-year deal on transfer deadline day, and Josh Payne, who signed on a

  • World’s Christians meet in Oxford

    THE Archbishop of Canterbury joined Christians from all over the work on a visit to Oxford at the weekend. Delegates from Serbia, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Canada and Australia arrived for the International Theological Anglican Orthodox Commission at

  • Vandals smash Abingdon club's minibus windows

    DISABLED and elderly members of a social club say they have been left isolated after its minibus was vandalised. Day trips have had to be cancelled after two windows of the van belonging to Abingdon’s Breakaway Club were smashed while it was parked

  • Walkers hack it for the NSPCC

    THE first children’s charity walk of its kind to be held in Oxfordshire was hailed a success as more than 180 people braved heavy rain to complete a 25-mile route. The Cotswold’s Hike Against Cruelty to Kids (Hack) was one of eight sponsored walks held

  • Fleet Meadow Autumn Fair, Didcot

    Oxfordshire mental health charity, Restore, is holding an Autumn Fair at their Didcot site, Fleet Meadow on Sandringham Road. There'll be stalls, workshops, live music, kids activities, tasty food and drink, animals, vegetables, plants, books and