Archive

  • Smalley's scorcher gives Oxford United victory

    Oxford United 1 West Ham United 0 A terrific finish from Deane Smalley saw Oxford United open their pre-season schedule with a win against West Ham United. The striker, who endured a dismal first season with the U’s, stylishly fired in the

  • It’s top marks for city parks

    FOUR parks are flying the green flag for Oxford after winning top awards. Bury Knowle, Florence, Hinksey and Cuttleslowe parks, run by Oxford City Council , have all been recognised with Green Flags. The announcement has been welcomed by officers

  • Jake knows a classic Mini when he sees one

    MINI and VW enthusiasts descended on Blenheim Palace to get up close to some classic models. The weekend event saw hundreds of people attend to display vehicles through the decades. Sarah Fifield, 33, of Abingdon, was there with her two-year-old

  • Live - Oxford United v West Ham

    7:25pm #whufc starting line-up: Henderson, Demel, Spence, Reid, McCartney, Noble, Nolan, O'Neil, Morrison, Cole, Vaz Te — @OxfordMailOUFC 17 July 2012  

  • Children urged to join a ‘reading adventure’

    A SCHEME aimed at inspiring children to read has been launched at Oxford Central Library. Reading activities for all the family took place on Saturday and youngsters were urged to sign up for this year’s Story Lab. The idea is to get people

  • Battle Proms go with a bang once again

    FIREWORKS and cannon fire accompanied calvary marches and live concert music at the Battle Proms. Despite the wet weather, hundreds of people turned out to watch the event at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock on Saturday. The event takes its name

  • General Elliot sale falls through

    DRINKERS in South Hinksey are still thirsty for a local pub after a deal to reopen the General Elliot fell through at the last minute.  Vale Brewery was close to selling the pub but negotiations collapsed this month.  The pub

  • Pub in old post office needs name

    PUB chain JD Wetherspoon is now considering names for its Abingdon bar after securing permission to develop the old post office. The chain has been trying to open a pub in the town for about 10 years. It was refused permission for the former

  • Debating NHS issues

    IT SEEMS, once again, I have to answer Mr Siret’s incorrect accusations and statements. I have never suggested cutting the NHS. I have only ever suggested that financing an organisation which is the biggest employer in western Europe should

  • Time for Government to give pensioners a break

    ONCE again this wretched Government is waging war on pensioners.   It encourages pensioners to save to provide for a reasonably comfortable old age – let’s face it, you could not live and pay bills, fuel and clothing on £120 per week

  • Road closed after crane topples

    A 45-TONNE crane has blocked a road in Woodeaton in both directions after toppling over.  A police spokesman said it is believed the crane was travelling along Woodeaton Road at about 6pm yesterday when the verge gave way. No one was injured.

  • Swan Upping is latest casualty of bad weather

    There will be no Swan Upping in Oxfordshire this week, it has been confirmed. The week-long census of the swan population, led by David Barber, the Queen’s swan marker has been abandoned because flooding on parts of the Thames has made it too dangerous

  • MAC THE KNIFE: You won't catch me anywhere near a campsite

    A FRIEND departed for a week’s camping holiday in the West Country last weekend while the flood warnings were being issued. Cornwall, Devon and Somerset were all under water, but she buckled her toddler, baby and husband into the car defiantly, and

  • London Welsh announce pre-season fixtures

    London Welsh will play pre-season friendlies against Bath and the Scarlets as the club builds towards its first-ever season in the Aviva Premiership. The Exiles face Bath at The Recreation Ground on August 11 (2.15pm kick-off) in what will

  • Extreme sports website set up for disabled

    DESPITE being blind, Paul Nicol has tried it all – mountain climbing, white water rafting, rally driving and bungee jumping. Now the adventurer has put his money where his mouth is and has set up a business giving other disabled people the chance

  • Oxford United supporters' trust backs new chairman

    OXFORD United supporters’ trust OxVox has backed new club chairman Ian Lenagan. Mr Lenagan met OxVox chairman Mark Sennett at the Kassam Stadium during an open day on Saturday. Former chairman Kelvin Thomas stepped down after four years

  • New senior fire officer appointed

    A NEW senior fire officer has been appointed by Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.. Simon Furlong, who currently works for with West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, will replace assistant chief fire officer Nathan Travis when he takes over

  • Red Arrows to perform at White Horse Show

    THE Red Arrows will be performing a full aerobatic display at this year’s White Horse Show in Uffington. The display team was due to perform at the show’s 40th anniversary celebrations last year but pulled out when one of the crew members was

  • Rugby team's arrival throws pub lifeline

    IT MAY be the favourite watering hole of diehard football fans, but staff at The Priory pub say it is rugby supporters who have thrown them a vital lifeline. The London Welsh Rugby Club will make its Premiership debut at the Kassam on Sunday

  • St Clement's traders fear loss of car parking

    TRADERS in St Clement’s, Oxford, said they will lose out if Oxford City Council pushes ahead with its car park redevelopment plan. Josh Knight, owner of Cowley Road boutique Indigo, told a full council meeting last night that a three-day customer

  • Trio spared jail over assault on club doorman

    THREE waiters who set upon an Oxford club's doorman with a broken bottle have escaped being sent to jail. Clems doorman Nicolai Schroeder was pushed to the floor before being kicked, punched and hit over the head with a bottle. Ignacio Ussia

  • CRICKET: Morton's ton sets up Wetsbury cup cruise

    OCA WESTBURY cruised into the Airey Cup semi-finals with a crushing 218-run home win over Stonesfield on Sunday. Adam Morton smashed a brilliant 164 as Westbury rattled up 321-5. George Hilton-Jones then claimed 5-11 as Stonesfield were shot

  • Barton West Inquiry: 'This is a rare opportunity'

    BUILDING 1,200 homes on land west of Barton is a “rare” and “exciting” opportunity. That’s according to Oxford City Council ’s head of city development as the hearing into the Barton West plans opened yesterday. Opening the hearing, Michael

  • MOTORSPORT: Marussia 'clear' crash car

    Banbury-based Formula 1 team Marussia say their car was not at fault for a crash which left test driver Maria de Villotta seriously injured. The 32-year-old hit a support truck at Duxford airfield earlier this month while testing, having two operations

  • Clarke's ready to take on Hammers

    Ryan Clarke is hoping to live up to his previous performance against West Ham United when the Premier League side kick-off Oxford United’s pre-season tonight. Sam Allardyce’s promoted side will provide a tough examination for the U’s, who only

  • COMMENT: Race to lead police runs into trouble

    THE race to become Police and Crime Commissioner in Thames Valley and elsewhere has not exactly caught the public imagination. The Government’s grand plan to sweep away the existing police authorities and replace them with a single commissioner

  • Give these girls a future

     THIS old headline has reared its ugly head again:  ‘Pregnancy for housing!’  The last time it was during the Tories’ 17-year reign!   When are they going to realise their policies do nothing for the young in poor areas

  • CRICKET: Banbury close gap at bottom

    CHERWELL LEAGUE BANBURY 2nd made up ground at the foot of the Division 1 table when they enjoyed the better of a draw with Great Brickhill. It was one of only five of the league’s 49 scheduled matches to start as the weather wreaked havoc for

  • FOOTBALL: Merritt thrilled to sign Brooks

    Witney Town boss Justin Merritt has hailed the signing of former Oxford United winger Jamie Brooks. Brooks, 28, who was released by the U’s in 2006 and has since had spells at Oxford City and Abingdon United, was Merritt’s No 1 target. He will

  • Maverick enters race to become police chief

    A GUN collector with a criminal record is vying to become the region’s first elected police commissioner. Martin Young, 67, from Headington Hill, intends to run for the role of Thames Valley Police Commissioner as an independent candidate.

  • OLYMPICS: Revved-up Reed hoping to inspire teammates

    REIGNING Olympic rowing champion Pete Reed hopes the dedication that makes him a ruthless competitor on the water rubs off on some of his GB teammates at London 2012. The 30-year-old Oxford Blue and Leander Club member is looking to repeat his gold

  • OLYMPICS: I'm still loving it

    FRAN Houghton says she has a dream job as she looks ahead to her fourth Olympics. The 31-year-old, who grew up in Oxford, has been in love with rowing ever since she first tried it as an 11-year-old Dragon School pupil. And Houghton, who will compete

  • ON YER BIKE: There is a Scruffy new addition to my family

     There is a new addition to my life. Okay actually two, firstly another bike, surprise surprise! But more importantly a long awaited puppy. She’s a Border terrier called Scruffy, so a small puppy and eventually a not so large dog. As my

  • OAP jailed for child sex attacks

    A 79-year-old paedophile has been jailed for crimes committed more than a decade ago. Leslie Brain, of Mold Crescent, Banbury, was sentenced to four years in jail at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. He was convicted by jurors at an earlier trial

  • Rain affects parking at Art in Action

    LAST minute changes have been made to parking at Art in Action after heavy rain made fields at the event unusable. The annual event sees 25,000 visitors descend on the Waterperry Estate near Wheatley to see more than 400 artists, performers and

  • Flooding threatens ancient Swan Upping ceremony

    THE ancient ceremony of Swan Upping in Oxfordshire could be cancelled because flooding on parts of the River Thames has made it too dangerous for boats to navigate. The census of the swan population on the Thames dates back to the 12th century,

  • Social housing tenants benefit trial starts

    A TRIAL where social housing tenants get housing benefit paid directly to them is due to start today. Oxford City Council is working with Oxford Citizens Housing Association to trial the Government scheme. Currently benefit cash goes to the

  • Last push for school improvement tokens

    SCHOOLS hoping to win £7,500 of improvements are today having a last push to collect tokens. The Oxford Mail has teamed up with construction company Leadbitter. Supporters have until today to get their tokens to the school of their choice.

  • Man in court on sex assault charge

    A 51-year-old man has appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting a woman. Ian Nicholson, from Hernes Road, North Oxford, is charged with sexual assault in relation to an alleged incident at Fairfield Residential Home, off Banbury Road,

  • Manchester United kid to join Oxford United

    Oxford United are poised to sign Manchester United teenager Sean McGinty in time for tonight’s pre-season friendly against West Ham. The defender, who turns 19 next month, can play at left back or left centre back and is expected to join on an initial

  • Increase in population runs ahead of average

    OXFORD’s population has jumped above 150,000 for the first time, according to newly-released data from the 2011 Census. The figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the city grew faster than elsewhere in the county, with the

  • Rail revival signalled with £4bn investment

    MAJOR improvements to Oxford’s railway station are in motion as part of “the biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era”. The Government yesterday revealed a £4.2bn investment programme for the UK’s rail network from 2014-

  • Wheels of change

    The company car is dead, according to Paul Balmont, managing director of Commonwheels. As head of an organisation promoting alternatives to private car ownership, you might think, in the famous Profumo Affair phrase: “He would say that, wouldn't

  • Driven to win

    Motor racing is a young man’s sport, so much so that, by their middle teens, aspiring drivers have to consider their future very seriously. The Formula BMW Intersteps series is limited to the 15 to 19-year-old age group, and this is the category in

  • A sense of belonging

    The Hollywood film Lost in Translation popularised the idea that encountering a foreign culture may cause feelings of alienation, loss, loneliness and isolation. But can it happen in reverse? When Claire Snowdon came ‘home’ to Oxford after spending

  • Blackbird Leys families protest against ban on ball games

    FAMILIES in an Oxford street are protesting against council rules which stop their children playing football outside their homes. Three young families in Furlong Street, Blackbird Leys, last month received letters from CANAcT, the Crime and

  • Aunt Sally title taken out of county

    THE World Aunt Sally Singles Championship has again gone to a competitor from outside Oxfordshire. The traditional pub game is almost exclusively played in the county, but for the second year it has gone to Gloucestershire. Stephen McAteer,

  • Residents say area needs more homes

    LONG-MOOTED plans to knock down two houses for 14 flats in an upmarket Botley road should be approved, a council officer has said. Vale of White Horse District Council officer Martin Deans said the plan for the semi-detached homes in Yarnells Hill