Archive

  • CRICKET: Horspath halted by top duo

    Horspath's hopes of posting a much-needed win were dashed by two outstanding individual performances from Farnham Royal's Daniel Simpson and Javed Khan as their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West clash ended in a draw.

  • Shark sculpture celebrates 25th birthday

    ONE of Oxford’s most bizarre and controversial figures is about to celebrate its 25th birthday. The famous Headington Shark has caused bewilderment, anger and a lot of interest since it was unveiled on August 9, 1986. But despite councillors

  • Fun for all at County Show

    COUNTRYSIDE lovers took to the fields to enjoy the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show. Saturday’s event, on the outskirts of Thame, has a strong focus on countryside activities and featured dog shows, horse riding and sheep shearing.

  • Rural fury over planning laws

    countryside campaigners in Oxfordshire have condemned proposed changes to the planning system, which they claim amount to “a default ‘yes’ to development”. The Campaign to Protect Rural England said the Government’s suggested policy switch could “undermine

  • Engineer's additional role as a lifesaver

    HENRY Irving’s official title at the Pressed Steel car body factory at Cowley was a jig and maintenance engineer. But to many workers at the plant, he was much more than that. He was a volunteer with St John Ambulance and was often called, on and off

  • The changing face of Kidlington

    PUPILS are West Kidlington Primary School held a Mexican evening in 1970, with an operetta, colour film and displays, all with a Mexican theme. Among those who dressed for the occasion were, left to right, Stephen Bowerman, Christopher Granville and Paul

  • Leaving for Wembley

    WE THOUGHT we’d heard the last of Pegasus football team when the former players held their last reunion. How wrong could we be! This picture, sent in by reader Winnie Nash, shows regulars at the Masons Arms in Blackfriars Road, St Ebbe

  • Memorial match in honour of teammate

    FRIENDS and family of a rising ice hockey star who died last summer held a memorial ice hockey match in his honour. Jack O’Donnell died after falling from his bike and suffered spinal injuries in July 2010. He was about to celebrate his 16th

  • 'No money' for permit parking

    RESIDENTS who say they are trapped in their homes by commuter parking in Oxford are “banging their heads against a brick wall”. Residents of the Peat Moors estate have renewed calls for permit parking in the area to control problems with roads

  • Cinema welcomes lifelong film goers

    WHEN the Moulin Rouge cinema at Headington, Oxford, booked a film called The Fast Lady, manager Philip Hollowood decided to hold a special showing. So who better to invite than the fast ladies themselves – a group of Oxford midwives? They are pictured

  • Changing face of village life shown in history book

    VILLAGE life was never dull at Wolvercote. Plenty of activities were on offer to suit all ages and tastes. The varied fare is reflected in the Changing Faces of Wolvercote, one of the series of popular local history books published by Robert Boyd, of

  • Bay taught us to swim

    YOUNGSTERS learn to swim these days in heated, indoor pools, but it wasn’t always like that, as many Memory Lane readers will testify. Bob Hounslow recalls the days when he learned to swim in the chilly waters of Tumbling Bay, off Botley Road, Oxford

  • £250,000 youth centre opens

    DISABLED teenagers from across the county have got a brand new facility designed just for them. The Thomley Activity Centre spent more then £250,000 to refurbish a manor house and create a state-of-the-art youth centre. Among other things, it has games

  • Law firm achieves quality standard

    Banbury law firm Spratt Endicott has been presented with the Conveyancing Quality Standard from the Law Society. The award recognises firms that are committed to the highest standards of conveyancing for home buyers. David Inch, partner in Spratt Endicott

  • University's feathered friends add to research

    AT OXFORD University’s Natural History Museum, birds of a feather definitely flock together. Since 1947, the swifts which nest in the tower of the University museum in Parks Road have been unwitting subjects of research. This makes it

  • THE SCALES OF JUSTICE: People convicted of offences recently

    OXFORD Ion Dumitrachescu, 20, of Tivoli Road, Hounslow, admitted shoplifting four bottles of whisky valued at £68 from Sainsbury’s in Oxford on April 12 and a further offence while subject to a conditional discharge. Fined £80 and a £15 victims’ surcharge

  • Terminally ill Janet's wishes granted

    IT was the dream wedding she had always wanted – and her dying wish. Great-grandmother Janet Priest, from Greater Leys, Oxford, last week renewed her wedding vows with husband Terry in what she called the “perfect day”. The 63-year-old, who has inoperable

  • Economics professor counts loss

    An Oxford University professor claimed he was unfairly made redundant as part of a cost-cutting initiative, an employment tribunal heard. Dr Anthony Murphy had been employed by Hertford College since June 2006 under a fixed-term contract for four years

  • RUGBY UNION: Players wanted

    OXFORD Harlequins Under 17s are looking for new players to bolster their ranks. Coach Paul de Lange said: “Considering we are the only under 17 side in the city, there must be players out there.” For more information, contact team manager David Hodgson

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 3.5 BMW 6194 Electrocomponents 233.7 Nationwide Accident Repair 93 Oxford Biomedica 7.1 Oxford Catalysts 71.75 Oxford Instruments 997 Reed Elsevier 556 RM 117.75 RPS Group 236.7 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley

  • CRICKET: Butt stops Thame revival bid

    Thame Town’s early collapse cost them dearly in their six-wicket defeat away to high-riding Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West side Slough. Electing to bat first, Thame were reduced to 38-4 before a partnership of 68 between Sam Lachlan and

  • CRICKET: Watkins stars as Rowant draw

    Despite an excellent all-round display from Nat Watkins, Aston Rowant had to settle for a high-scoring draw in their Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West derby at home to Dinton. Watkins captured 5-40 as Dinton slumped from 262-4 to 180 all

  • COMMENT: Show us big picture over student digs

    Many Oxford residents have reached the end of their tether when it comes to student developments. Yes, a small minority will not want any form of development “in their backyard” and will always peg undergraduates as nuisances. But the

  • RESULTS August 1

    RESULTS CRICKET. SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE. Division 1. Bishop’s Stortford 205 (62.3 ovs), Falkland 92 (31.1 ovs, Hamza Riazuddin 51). Bishop’s Stortford 25pts, Falkland 5. Welwyn Garden City 317-8 (66 ovs, N Walker 99, J Hewitt

  • THE MAN ABOUT TOWN: The tell-tale signs of a mid-life crisis

    Want to know if a man is having a midlife crisis? Well, don’t go looking for a Harley in the garage or cheerleader ‘wallpaper’ on his laptop because that’s not a midlife crisis – no, that’s just...creepy (like seeing a 60-year-old smooching his mail-order

  • Riot reasoning is laughable

    THEY say that a good laugh strengthens the heart leading to a longer life, and for that sole purpose may the letters from Susan Thomas (Oxford Mail, August 29) continue. This lady’s reason for recent rioting really does take the biscuit. Apparently

  • CRICKET: Super Sabin makes derby foes suffer

    A brilliant century from Lloyd Sabin put Banbury in charge of their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier league Division 1 derby clash at Oxford on Saturday. But they were unable to force victory as Oxford’s last pair hung on for seven overs to scramble

  • Parking punishment

    THE Kassam Stadium became the home of Oxford United years ago when it moved from the Manor Ground in Headington. In 2006 the county council introduced a controlled parking zone to charge residents to park outside their homes in the streets near the

  • The saga goes on

    I’VE recently had people asking me how my column in the Oxford Mail is going! I never intended for mine, or Ken’s or Clive’s letters to become a saga. Okay, Ken. I don’t think anyone is trying to justify tailgateing. It’s unsafe, it’s not polite,

  • Pavement problems

    I SHARE Eddie Duller’s disillusionment with Thames Valley Police over its failure to deal effectively with illegal pavement cyclists in Summertown. Walkers in Headington suffer from the same scourge. Our MP, Andrew Smith, has been long and tireless

  • People in power refuse to listen

    IN the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils May elections, we had the fiasco of more than 2,250 having their right to vote denied. We have heard all the excuses but whichever way you look at it, the root cause was the incompetence

  • Article needs to be read

    I WOULD like to respond to Edith M Parsons re (Oxford Mail, July 21, Viewpoints). Edith, did you read the article (Oxford Mail, July 9)? The whole subject of the article was Northway Estate not Northway Church. The headline was Golden Day: Oxford’

  • Ravers keep locals awake

    MORE than 2,000 illegal ravers descended on a field near Cholsey this weekend, causing major disruption. Yesterday, hundreds of people were still on-site and cars lined the roads. Revellers said the rave, or “free party” as they described it, was

  • Samantha Fox promotes clean energy

    A HOST of eco-friendly vehicles travelled from Oxford to London yesterday to promote clean energy. The Bridgestone Eco Rally included a Lotus sports car fuelled by wine and cheese whey and a VW Beetle powered by gas from dung. Two electric-assisted

  • Animal magic enchants down at farm

    FAMILIES headed to Foxbury Farm, near Brize Norton, at the weekend to get a close look at the animals. Four-year-old Erin Bolton and mum Laura, from Carterton, said they had a great time exploring the stalls. Erin, pictured with her mum and holding

  • COMMENT: Two million cheers

    TWO million Mini cars have been built in Cowley and, with few blips along the way, the brand has grown from strength to strength. Prime Minister David Cameron was in town yesterday to mark the milestone. More importantly he pledged support

  • CRICKET: Oxford champs after Sutherland hat-trick

    Brad Sutherland took a dramatic hat-trick to help Oxford become the Red Insure Home Counties Twenty 20 champions at Rover Cowley yesterday. Sutherland returned the amazing figures of 4-3 in just 15 balls as Oxford thrashed Harpenden by 65 runs in the

  • 'Cuts have made problem worse'

    THE decision to axe in-house county council care staff has added to the bed-blocking crisis, according to a council source. A social care employee told the Oxford Mail that hospitalised pensioners who relied on council carers could not return home

  • Extent of student accommodation plans revealed

    TODAY the Oxford Mail can reveal the true sprawl of student development which is creeping across city suburbs. Hundreds of new rooms are in the pipeline and even more land could be allocated for student digs in the future. We have mapped

  • COMMENT: Diversity counts

    The Headington shark celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. Over a quarter of a century it has become an alternative Oxford icon. In a city with a rich architectural history, the shark is proof it is still possible for every generation

  • Funding blow halts big plan

    A YOUTH mentoring programme for one of Oxford’s most deprived estates has hit a setback after a funding bid was deferred. Thrive Barton works with young people from the area who need help to turn their lives around. It wanted £6,869 from the Oxfordshire

  • Singers wanted to raise the roof

    SINGERS of all abilities are sought to help raise the roof of Oxford’s New Theatre — and raise thousands of pounds for charity at the same time. It is the second time Sheridan Edward, 29, of Headington, has organised a ‘come and sing’ event in aid of