What a fantastic ‘Super Sunday’ of football there was on display last weekend. Liverpool against Manchester United and Arsenal versus Spurs were the fixtures on show – not just football games, but massive grudge matches with plenty of history behind
THE redevelopment of an historic building in Jericho has won the support of Oxford’s planning officials, to the dismay of another university college. Exeter College bought the Walton Street site for £7m in 2010, following Ruskin College’s relocation
FABRIC fanatics flocked to a festival to find out more about the intracacies of quilt-making. More than 600 people from Oxfordshire and surrounding counties travelled to Burford School over three days to see the work of women who have attended
CHINNOR’S new head coaches will continue playing as the club compete for a second season in English rugby’s fourth tier. Matt Goode and Andrew Smith were promoted to Chinnor’s top job after the shock resignation of Craig Chalmers last month.
MORE than a decade ago, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre surgeon Chris Lavy established a children’s hospital in south east Africa. Now, 11 years on, staff at the Beit CURE International Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, see 8,000 patients and perform about
WILDLIFE photographer and former Oxford Mail staffer George Reszeter captured this little fellow swiping nuts from the hazel tree in his garden and burying them in an unusual place. Mr Reszeter, 60, who lives in Wootton, near Abingdon, recently
Production difficulties mean that the publication of the September issue of Oxfordshire Limited Edition magazine has been delayed. The free magazine, which is usually included in the first issue of The Oxford Times each month, will now appear in
BICESTER is the latest Oxfordshire town to get superfast mobile phone services. The latest 4G technology has now been switched on in the town, meaning customers of phone firm EE can access the Internet five times more quickly than the 3G system
THREE designs have been unveiled for a £220,000 project to redevelop Witney’s only outdoor pool as part of a “master plan” for The Leys park. The paddling pool in the park was closed in February because of broken slabs and before that the 45-year-old
TWO STARS The third film in the Riddick series, which began in 2000 with the muscular sci-fi thriller Pitch Black, is the least unsatisfying chapter of the ongoing saga. Made at a fraction of the price of the overblown 2004 sequel The Chronicles
FOUR STARS As a writer and more recently a director, Richard Curtis has warmed the cockles of the nation’s heart with his rose-tinted romantic comedies that suggest every bumbling, accident-prone Englishman gets the impossibly beautiful girl with
AS THE Pegasus Theatre’s new top man looks out on to the stage, he says he is full of inspiration. Jonathan Lloyd, 43, a dad-of-two, pictured, joined the East Oxford theatre on Monday from London’s Polka Theatre, taking over from long-serving Euton
MORE than 40 parents, business owners and friends have helped revamp a pre-school. Wantage town councillor Steve Trinder and his daughter Eleanor, five, were two who leant a hand at Charlton Acorns, near Wantage. The volunteers pulled up old
NARNIA author CS Lewis was regularly late to church but would sit right at the front. This is one of the memories of the famous author and academic collected for a festival to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. Interviews with three people
BUILDING 100 homes in a Wantage field would be “unsustainable and irresponsible” a protester claims. Housing developer Dandara already has planning permission to build 200 homes at Stockham Farm. It has now applied to build a further 100. Felix
ONE county care home was among more than 800 nationally threatened with closure in the last year unless they improved. Coxwell Hall and Mews Nursing Home, in Faringdon, was heavily criticised after inspections by the Care Quality Commission (CQC
HISTORY groups in Oxfordshire are busy recording inscriptions from gravestones from about 300 churchyards in the county. In the last 20 years inscriptions from about 200 churchyards have been archived by the Oxfordshire Family History Society and
A 20-year-old Wantage man has been arrested on suspicion of exposing himself. He was arrested last Wednesday relating to an incident in Courtenay Road, Wantage on August 13. The man has been released on police bail until September 28. An 18-year-old
GRAFFITI outside a nightclub in St Clement’s may have to be scrubbed off after officials said it breached regulations. Clems nightclub painted cartoon characters and its website address outside the club. But officials said it did not apply
Conor Taylor was the star of the show as Shrivenham boosted their OCA League Division 1 title hopes with a 43-run victory away to Broughton & North Newington on Saturday. With title rivals Westbury losing at Garsington, the win took Shrivenham
WEST Witney will take on Carterton in the final of the Oxford & District League Cup, sponsored by S&J Timms Cleaning Services and Frances Baker, of Rub-A-Dub-Dub Launderette, under the floodlights at Kidlington tomorrow night.
DIVISION 5 TREVOR Russell hit a superb 129 not out in his last competitive game for Cumnor 2nd despite batting 40 overs with a runner. Veteran Russell tore a calf muscle but still saw his score go from 76 to 100 with six fours off one over.
DIVISION 4 MARKUS Jeacock hit the Stokenchurch attack to all parts on his way to a club record 166 not out for Great & Little Tew 2nd. His effort allowed Tew to declare on 294-4 from 48 overs. Paul Maddock then hit 52, but the visitors
DIVISIONS 6-10 SAM Prescott took an impressive 5-6 from just seven overs as Great & Little Tew 4th tied with Aston Rowant 4th in Division 9. Tew were 125 all out from the first innings and took several early wickets to leave Rowant at 15
Councillors will next week be urged to back a motion calling for solar panels to be installed on local authority buildings. At a meeting of Oxfordshire County Council next Tuesday at 10am at County Hall, Conservative councillor Stewart Lilly will
North Leigh went goal crazy in Division 1 South & West on the Calor League last night, hitting eight goals without replay at home to Guildford City. The Millers were 5-0 up by half-time after a brace apiece from Conor McDonagh and Stuart Hole
London Welsh have been fined 10,000 euros (£8,470) by an independent disciplinary committee for fielding ineligible scrum half Tyson Keats in the Amlin Cup last season. European Rugby Cup launched misconduct proceedings in May, claiming the New
MUSEUM conservator of life sciences Bethany Palumbo scrubbed 100 years worth of dust from this whale’s teeth in a restoration project. The exhibit is one of five skeletons – a dolphin, a lesser fin whale, a killer whale, a beluga whale and a bottle-nosed
MIDDLE ENGLAND LEAGUE OXFORDSHIRE lost 128-106 to Cambridgeshire in their final game of the season at Irchester. Jeanette Berry’s rink were the only victors with a 19-18 success. Oxfordshire 106 (3pts), Cambridgeshire 128 (14) (Oxon skips
HAGBOURNE won the Berkshire County Benevolent Triples trophy after victory over rivals Didcot. John Beardsley, Martin Marriott and Paul Ryman won 26-14 over the Didcot trio of Santo Orlando, Malcolm Woodley and David Ward to add the trophy to the
WITH its infra-red beams and high-speed technology, it looks like something out of a James Bond film. But the £260m Diamond Light Source synchrotron, on the Harwell Campus near Didcot, has roots 100 years old that were celebrated in all their glory
OXFORDSHIRE SENIOR LEAGUE MIDDLETON Cheney began their Division 1 campaign with an emphatic 9-3 mauling of Enstone Sports, but it took them half an hour to break the deadlock when a Sam Matthews header looped in. Trissy Salt bagged a hat-trick
FRIENDLIES HENRY Franklin has made what is believed to be Oxfordshire history after becoming the first bowler to play over a 50-year period for the county when he lined up against Buckinghamshire. And Franklin, who made his Oxfordshire debut
DIVISION 2 TIDDINGTON secured third place and promotion by beating Bletchley Town. Sam Hollingshead, who took all ten wickets in a losing cause the previous week, had to settle for half that number as he collected 5-39. Jude Ramanadanpulle
DIVISION 3 HORSPATH 2nd will go up if they beat Oxford Downs 2nd or collect 12 points from a draw this weekend. On Saturday they battered Bledlow Ridge by eight wickets, relegating their rivals. Ben Henderson (3-13) took a hat-trick and
FOR his 40th birthday, Andrew Coles was given 28 cans of baked beans, 31 cans of vegetables and a lot of pasta. No, he doesn’t just really like non-perishable food... Rather than ask for presents for himself, the West Oxfordshire district councillor
OXFORDSHIRE Under 16s were triumphant at the 2013 Standard Bank Festival after winning four of their five games in the Channel Islands. It took a last-day success against Jersey to clinch the trophy. Oxfordshire started against Hampshire, and
DORCHESTER justified their elevation to Division 1 with an opening day 2-1 victory at champions Saxton Rovers, writes PHIL ANNETS. Kyle Allsworth opened the scoring for Saxton, but Dorchester replied through Jamie Fleet and Josh Nicholls.
This man is wanted in connection with an assault that left a doorman needing hospital treatment for a fractured eye socket. The doorman was punched in the face while another was headbutted outside the Bell and Compass in New Road at about midnight
Two white Ford Transit pick-ups and tools were stolen during a burglary of a workshop and storage container. Thieves cut off padlocks to gain entry to the premises, at Grove Farm Corner Shop, Milton Hill, between 4pm on Friday and 8am on Saturday
A BUSINESSMAN who objects to Oxford University’s controversial new building in Jericho has taken his fight to the High Court. David Freud, pictured, is fighting Oxford City Council’s decision to give the Blavatnik School of Government building
I AM forever reading about the dreadful state of the potholes on the London Road in Headington and many other places in and around Oxford and have come to a conclusion. The problem will never go away as long as we have the hundreds of buses pounding
LIKE the majority of people, I do not want badgers killed. A few years ago I read about the National Trust who were running a badger tuberculosis vaccination programme in an area which is a hotspot for the disease in cattle. As well as explaining
STUART Skyte’s letter attacking the idea of Area Committees (August 29) seems to totally miss the point. Area Committees with their devolved powers of planning devolved budgets and areas of responsibility were a democratic structure that engaged and
CRITCHLEYS UPPER THAMES VALLEY LEAGUE JACK Heyhurst scored a hat-trick as AFC Jericho thrashed Exeter Hall 9-2. Alex Silver, Caymen Matthews, Kyle Pullen, Marley Joseph, Aaron Williams and Dan Caruthers all found the net as Jericho dominated
OXFORDSHIRE SENIOR LEAGUE OAKLEY United maintained their 100 per cent start to the Premier Division campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of last season’s champions, Riverside. James Keeble opened the scoring on 25 minutes and Ben Gray doubled the
HOME COUNTIES LEAGUE YOUTH came to the fore as Oxfordshire rounded off their campaign with an exciting victory over Buckinghamshire at Bletchley Town. Oxon ran out 16-6 winners, but only picked up five more shots than their rivals. Languishing
The contents of a garage were stolen from Hurst Rise Road, Botley. Four lifejackets, a leaf blower, gas mask, golf trolley and a large hard case were taken while the owner was clearing out the garage on Friday between 11.45am and noon. A white
Electrical items, bank cards, personal documents, cash and car keys were stolen from a home on Cross Street, Oxford. The burglars broke in through what police described as an insecure window on the ground floor of the house at some time between
A woman has been sexually assaulted in broad daylight as she walked in Iffley Fields. Police have launched a witness appeal after the assault of a 32-year-old woman at the weekend. The victim was walking in the fields, at the end of Bedford
THERE will be a shortfall of more than 1,000 primary school places across Oxfordshire within two years, according to new figures. Demand will outstrip supply by September 2015, when an estimated 53,105 pupils will be competing for 52,096 places
GOALS from Kenzer Lee and Josh Shama earned Oxford United a 2-2 draw against Southend in a development game yesterday. The U’s, whose starting line-up included two unnamed triallists, twice fought back to get on level terms in their first home
I ACCEPT Clive Harrison’s backhanded compliment made in response to my recent letter on the new tailgate legislation in the manner in which it was given. But I feel the same backhanded compliment should be extended to the thousands like me who signed
RON Atkinson ‘striker’ for Oxford United – I don’t think so. DAVID HICKS, Tilsley Road, Chipping Norton Ed: Indeed he was a midfielder (wing half) who earned the nickname The Tank. Apologies for the error
WHAT is going on with this country. We are sending money all over the world to countries that hate us and to countries who do not give it to the people who need it when people are homeless, starving and can’t get support on our own doorstep. Then
TOMORROW, CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, is holding its first Thanks a Million Day. We’d like to say a huge thank you to you and your readers. In 2012/13 you, our supporters, helped us raise £1 million
I am going to set you a challenge this week by asking you to do some soul searching. This has come about through a conversation I had recently with a neighbour who is registered blind. Now, to me, not to have sight is inconceivable so I was surprised
DIVISION 1 OXFORD Downs registered the highest top flight score of the season – but continue to have worries about relegation. They hammered 290-8 against Leighton Buzzard Town but couldn’t force the win that would make them safe. Wes Bartlett
MATCH OF THE DAY Division 2: Cumnor v Wolverton Town CUMNOR avoided defeat at home to their only rivals Wolverton Town on Saturday and were crowned Division 2 champions. Both teams had already confirmed promotion, but Town could have taken
Fire crews cut the roof off a car to free its occupants after a two vehicles were involved in a smash along the A40 near Witney yesterday lunctime. The westbound carriageway was blocked after a silver Mitsubishi and a blue Peugeot 208 collided
WHAT is big, orange, and has a circumference of about a metre and a half? The Oxford Botanic Garden’s impressive gargantuan pumpkin – affectionally nicknamed ‘The Beast’ by staff – is the largest pumpkin in the garden’s recent history. Trainee
OXFORD University’s top athletes are more used to showing off their sporting prowess. But now 70 of them will be bravely displaying talents of a different kind in the Oxford Blues Charity Naked Calendar 2014 to raise cash for four student-chosen
WE British are a reserved lot. But ask us to strip for a charity calendar and a surprising number of us will disrobe quicker than you can say ‘brass monkeys’. Almost 15 years since the original calendar girls of Rylstone Women’s Institute in Yorkshire
A RESPECTED expert in planning has been appointed to lead an independent inquiry into the Castle Mill controversy. Vincent Goodstadt has been appointed by Oxford City Council to carry out an inquiry into the student housing – which has prompted
OXFORD United Women have drawn up a list of targets for playing in this season’s Super League in a bid to strengthen ahead of their debut in the elite competition. Preparations are well under way for the campaign, which will see the club competing
THE partner of a cyclist killed by a careless driver has labelled his sentence a “joke” and called for tougher punishments. Paul Brown, 30, pictured right, was given 240 hours unpaid work and banned from driving for 12 months yesterday after he
THE sentence handed out to Paul Brown yesterday for killing Joe Wilkins in a crash has done little to relieve the misery of his grieving family. The cold logic of justice and the raw emotion of mourning relatives may often be best kept well apart
A £200,000 REFURBISHMENT of Abingdon’s John Mason School has been completed in time for pupils returning to classes today. The school in Wootton Road has redeveloped its sixth form centre and food technology rooms, as well as upgrading its internet
Banbury Road is partially blocked in both directions after an accident between a car and cyclist. The collision happened at the junction of Banbury Road to Bardwell Road shortly after 8am.
GLADIATORS A secured the Section 1 title with a game to spare thanks to a 3-0 home win over Red Lion B Eynsham, writes ANDY BEAL. The leaders were pushed all the way in the opening leg. It was tied 24-24 and they could still not be separated on
GREENE KING OXFORD & DISTRICT LEAGUE Premier/Section 1: Vikings Sports B 1, Three Pigeons 2; Red Lion A Eynsham 3, Ampleforth Arms A 0; New Club A 0, Six Bells C Kidlington 3; Gladiators A 3, Red Lion B Eynsham 0; Cricketers B 3, Garsington
EXCITED screams and laughter will rise above Oxford’s Dreaming Spires as St Giles Fair takes place in the heart of the city. Up to 100,000 revellers are expected the attend the annual festivities on Monday and Tuesday next week. As well as
ELDERLY couples have put their best feet forward at the Woodstock Tea Dance. Thirteen couples were guided on a range of dances, including the tango and the Balmoral blues, at the Woodstock Social Club yesterday. The weekly dance sessions have been
BUILDING 40 homes on green space in Cowley could set a precedent for the rest of the city, it has been warned. Cantay Estates has made a second attempt to build on the pitches of the former Lord Nuffield Club off Barracks Lane. But Oxford City
THE personal details of people in Oxfordshire on an edited version of the electoral register have been sold more than 50 times in six years to companies and individuals by councils in the region. A report published this week by the campaign group
