Archive

  • Reunion invite to ex-pupils

    Pupils at Witney Grammar School in the 1960s are invited to a reunion in September. The organisers are particularly keen to contact Maureen Bailey, Jennifer Hand, Sheila Watts, Deborah Viner, Norma Bennett, Christine Beadnell, Hazel Terry, Jill Shortland

  • Adult education hopes to widen appeal

    New courses in learning, sport, music and the arts could be added to an adult education centre's programme if there is demand. The chairman of the Wallingford centre, Carolyn Newbert, said: "The centre strives to be responsive to local interests and needs

  • Anger as school shuts gate on popular path

    Residents on a housing estate are up in arms after a school closed its gates on a popular short cut to the town centre. More than 200 people have signed a petition protesting over the closure and urging St Joseph's School Roman Catholic Primary School

  • Cricklet: Colts find it tough

    Oxfordshire Colts had a day of toil in the field as Hertfordshire reached 282-5 on the first day of their ECB Under 19 game at Long Marson yesterday. Oxon skipper Robbie Eason decided to field first on winning the toss, but although Ben France got an

  • Football: Davis poised to sign deal

    Steve Davis will sign a one-year deal to rejoin Oxford United - as soon as he gets the necessary clearance from Macclesfield Town. Davis, who played for United in their 1-1 draw with Hereford United last night, signed a deal with Macclesfield to play

  • Aunt Sally: Phillips stars in Cumnor title tilt

    Cumnor CC A's lead in the race for the Abingdon League title was cut as they posted a 4-2 win over the Brewery Tap. Mick Phillips (6, 5, 4) was in fine form for Cumnor with 15 dolls, while Alex Alder clanged off 5, 5, 3 for the Brewery Tap. Leg scores

  • American football: Saints march into semis

    Domino's Oxford Saints survived a tense finish to reach the British Senior League Division 2 semi-finals with a 22-15 win over the Advance Personnel Surge, from Staffordshire, at Oxford RFC. The result was in doubt until 30 seconds from the final whistle

  • Cricket: Oxford 2000 fixtures

    Matches in the Oxford 2000 festival (venues given in brackets) Monday, August 7: Gloucestershire Gipsies v Gentlemen of Cheshire (Abingdon War Memorial Field), Flycatchers v Gentlemen of Staffordshire (Brasenose), I Zingari v South Wales Hunts (Christ

  • Surgery plans withdrawn

    Plans for a new GP surgery and housing on the former Watlington Hospital site have been withdrawn hours before they were due to be discussed by councillors. Oxfordshire Community Health NHS Trust is to re-design the scheme after a South Oxfordshire District

  • Six on kidnap charge

    Six defendants appeared in court charged with kidnapping an Oxford man. Mohammed Akram, 44, of Waterbeach Road, Slough, Berkshire; Liaquat Ali, 24, of Perdeen Court, Slough; Amjad Hussain, 32, of Chester Road, Slough; Mohammed Shabbir, 21, of St Elmo

  • Pensioner injured in robbery attempt

    A pensioner was badly beaten in a 'senseless attack' by youths trying to rob him. The 69-year-old was walking along Kennet Road in Headington, Oxford, at 5.45pm on Monday (July 31), when he was approached by two men in their early 20s, who told him to

  • Football: Fixtures

    Matches scheduled to be played on Wednesday, August 2, 2000 **UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2nd qual round 2nd leg: Rosenbourg Trondheim (3) v Shelbourne (1), Zalgris Kaunas (1) v Rangers (4). **INTERTOTO CUP Semi-finals 2nd leg: Aston Villa (0) v Celta Vigo

  • Cricket: Thame girls lord it

    Lord Williams's, Thame triumphed in a girls' cricket tournament involving Beaconsfield School, Bucks, and Misbourne School, Gt Missenden. In the final of the competition held at Thame CC, Lord Bills A beat Beaconsfield A 281-267. Prizes were awarded to

  • Alchester's double celebration

    Alchester Running Club, from Bicester, took a break from the competitive side of the sport to celebrate their first anniversary. More than 100 athletes and supporters attended a social event and disco at Wendlebury Village Hall on Saturday. This was followed

  • Weightlifting: Causer gets the call for England

    Didcot weightlifter Michael Causer flies the flag for England at the Millennium Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh next week, writes Russell Smith. The 18-year-old has been selected to represent his country in the 77k category at the Games which run

  • Ageism 'is out of touch'

    Car giant BMW faced more criticism today over its alleged ageist policy. BMW has said it wants to reduce its average workforce age from 45 to 30. As a result, it has asked people over 50 if they would like to leave in return for a golden handshake, thought

  • Bright ideas from future designers

    BRIGHT ideas from Oxfordshire students won prizes in a scheme intended to encourage the next generation of designers, scientists and engineers, writes Maggie Hartford. More than 30 A-level design and technology students received grants from the Oxford

  • The DVD makes its mark

    Zahra Akkerhuys reports on the recording revolution which looks set to replace VHS, CD-ROM and the rest . . . For years there was a choice between Betamax and VHS video recorders. Neighbours endlessly discussed which was best but nobody could ever decide

  • MS victim exhibits photos

    Multiple sclerosis sufferer Barry Taylor, above, has been given wall space at an Oxford hospital to show off a collection of his photographs. The 52-year-old, who has been left severely disabled by the disease, is confident the gallery of pictures at

  • Mixed result at the pumps

    Garages reported a mixed result in yesterday's 'dump the pump' campaign in Oxfordshire. Some said sales were down by 50 per cent, while others said business boomed. David Thompson, manager at Oxpens Service Station, Oxford, said: "It's been an absolutely

  • Junction scheme loses Tm grant

    The Government has withdrawn 500,000 funding from the controversial Junction project in Oxford but councillors claim the scheme will still be operating by the end of the year. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) said yesterday it was pulling

  • Where have all the tourists gone?

    The number of tourists visiting Blenheim Palace dropped last year, according to a new survey. A poll of popular British attractions, by the English Tourism Council, showed Blenheim, the Woodstock home of the Duke of Marlborough, pulled in 422,816 visitors

  • Tennis: Henman falls at first hurdle

    Oxfordshire star Tim Henman crashed out of the Masters Series event in Toronto at the first hurdle. Henman, seeded 15th, went down 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to Chile's Marcelo Rios. The British No 1 from Weston-on-the-Green was made to pay for 33 unforced errors

  • Cameras win war on speed

    Police have collected 1.6m in fines from speeding motorists in just three months. Now the money is being ploughed back to maintain the county's network of speed cameras. About 40,000 drivers paid fixed-penalty notices in the Thames Valley region between

  • Athletics: Plateau in peak form for county

    Caroline Plateau, of Radley Ladies, produced the best performance when Oxfordshire sent a team to compete in an inter-counties under 13 age group competition at Kingston, Surrey. Plateau came second in the 800m with a time of 2.28.7. She also finished

  • Football: City outclassed by hot Shots

    A slick Aldershot side, favourites for this season's Ryman Premier Division championship, were much too good for Oxford City, beating them 4-0 at Court Place Farm last night, writes Mick Woodley. City went behind in the tenth minute when Gary Abbott's

  • Athletics: Pritchard outfoxes rival

    Simon Pritchard won a personal duel with Colin Deasy (Sphinx AC) to land the overall senior men's title in the Bicester AC Fox Four Series which closed with the Marsh Gibbon 10k. Wth only one point separating the two main protagonists, both men were in

  • Cricket: Players in 'jazzhat' jamboree

    There will be feast of cricket next week when Oxford hosts International Festival for Wandering Clubs. Oxford 2000, arranged by Cricketer magazine, will celebrate cricket played by what are often disparagingly called 'the jazzhat brigade', with no overall

  • Football: More work needed after tame friendly

    Last night's 1-1 draw at Edgar Street was a tame affair, with non-leaguers Hereford United taking the game to United in the early stages. Joey Beauchamp looked extremely lively on his return to the side, breaking through after just 11 seconds to force

  • Library back in business

    Oxford Central Library has reopened its doors a month after closing for urgent safety work. The building was suffering from a leaking flat roof and outdated wiring. Contractors moved in at the start of July to carry out repairs, which will cost 1m. The

  • Residents battle homeless hostel idea

    Controversial plans for a homeless hostel are to be discussed at a meeting later this month. The proposal, to be heard by the Vale of White Horse District Council's planning committee on August 14, is strongly opposed by nearby residents who fear it could

  • Ageism 'is out of touch'

    Car giant BMW faced more criticism today over its alleged ageist policy. BMW has said it wants to reduce its average workforce age from 45 to 30. As a result, it has asked people over 50 if they would like to leave in return for a golden handshake, thought

  • Doctors alerted to casualty crisis

    Doctors were alerted to the continuing casualty crisis once again yesterday as nurses battled under the strain of high admission numbers. The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for the John Radcliffe accident and emergency department

  • Football: Results

    Scores from Tuesday, August 1, 2000 **FRIENDLIES Hereford Utd 1, Oxford Utd 1; Banbury Utd 1, Kidderminster Harriers 1; Oxford City 0, Aldershot 4; North Leigh 2 (M State, M Jeffries), Old Woodstock Tn 0. **JIM NEWMAN MEMORIAL TROPHY Quarter-final: Clanfield

  • Football: Harriers grab a late draw from Banbury

    Banbury United came within six minutes of securing a shock victory over Kidderminster Harriers, before the Nationwide League newcomers snatched a 1-1 draw. Jody McKay put Banbury ahead after four minutes, running on to Ashley McKinness's lifted through

  • Football: Smith talks to goalie Glass

    Oxford United manager Denis Smith is talking to former Swindon Town goalkeeper Jimmy Glass about coming to the Manor Ground. Glass joined up with Oxford yesterday and played the full 90 minutes of the clash with Hereford at Edgar Street, only being denied

  • Rugby: Top youngsters set for elite coaching

    Oxford's most promising young rugby league players are set to receive expert coaching at a three-day residential camp based in the city next week. The city's best under 12 and 13 players will be coached by two professional coaches from Super League outfit

  • Rugby: Braithwaite lined up for Cavaliers debut

    Witney-based Oliver Braithwaite is set to make his first-team debut as Oxford Cavaliers bring the curtain down on their rugby league season with a clash against the Royal Navy at Marston Ferry Road tonight (Wed, 7pm). Braithwaite is in line to take over

  • The DVD makes its mark

    Zahra Akkerhuys reports on the recording revolution which looks set to replace VHS, CD-ROM and the rest . . . For years there was a choice between Betamax and VHS video recorders. Neighbours endlessly discussed which was best but nobody could ever decide

  • 'Suite' progress for project

    People in need of new furniture are being urged to make use of a free voluntary service. Members of the Wantage and Grove Lions Club are inviting needy members of the community to take part in their furniture recycling scheme. The project, which started

  • Jackpot - thanks to Bingo Bob

    Bingo winner Bernadette Carter has her "lucky charm" husband Bob to thank for her 103,000 jackpot win. The Wantage couple, pictured, were stunned after scooping a national prize. Although Mrs Carter, 47, is a keen bingo player, she insists she only won

  • Repeat offender gets ban

    A motorist who was caught drink-driving while banned has been disqualified for four years. Craig Powell, 32, was due to be sentenced at Banbury Magistrates Court last month for driving with excess alcohol on the A41 near Bicester on June 11. It was the

  • Church gets in swing of things

    Churchgoers are breaking with centuries of tradition to dance the night away in the heart of their medieval church. The sounds of a jazz band and orders for pints of beer will fill the normally tranquil inner walls of Witney's historic St Mary's Church

  • Royal birthday knees-up planned

    Villagers are set for a right Royal knees-up to celebrate the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. Sandra Brown, joint licensee of The Plough Inn, Long Wittenham, said she and her husband Melvyn are preparing to roll out the barrel in style to mark the Royal

  • Barriers joy for traders

    Traders affected by traffic changes have won their fight for access through a barrier. Covered Market workers who deliver perishable goods say journey times from the city centre to east Oxford take too long since the city's transport strategy was introduced

  • 'Quit now and you may live'

    Fewer people die of lung cancer in Britain than anywhere else in the world, according to top Oxford scientists. Sir Richard Doll, of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, believes the chief reason for the good news is because smokers are quitting cigarettes