Archive

  • GREYHOUNDS: Last night's results

    LAST NIGHT'S RESULTS 7.35: 1 RASH INVESTMENT 5-2 co-fav, 2 Rambling Girl 5-2 co-fav. (1x6x4). Trainer: Wills. Time: 28.05. Bookie Queen (4) 5-2 co-fav. N/R Scarlet Ohara (3), trap vacant. 7.50: 1 HAVEANOTHER 4-1, 2 Merlaboo Slippy 9-4 fav. (1x3x4).

  • United duo in fitness fight

    Oxford United are waiting on the fitness of Billy Turley and Joel Ledgister for tomorrow's first venture into the Setanta Shield - and to see if they will break the competition's rules! Turley, Ledgister and Danny Rose all missed the midweek FA Trophy

  • Taking stock

    So here we are, another Christmas. A time for unbridled consumerism, dysfunctional family breakdowns and the ubiquitous lazy journalistic treat - the end of the year review. What better way to fill those slow news days than with a run down of the best

  • Alarm over call to prayer

    PLANS to broadcast a call to prayer from Oxford's Central Mosque, in Manzil Way, would turn East Oxford into a 'Muslim ghetto', residents have claimed. Dozens of people packed out a meeting of Oxford City Council's east area parliament on Wednesday

  • County plans to burn waste

    Plans to build a £100m incinerator in Oxfordshire to burn household waste will be drawn up in the new year. County Hall has come out in favour of creating a giant plant where up to 200,000 tonnes of waste a year can be burned, to create electricity

  • Flood barrier is on the way

    Oxford's flood defences are to be strengthened with new £200,000 barriers, the Environment Agency has announced. The news was welcomed as an early Christmas present by residents, who proposed the idea of temporary flood barriers in vulnerable parts

  • Update: Pilot 'tried to protect others'

    THE family of the pilot who crashed near Oxford believe he may have brought his plane down in Wytham Woods to avoid nearby houses. Father-of-three Tom Miller, from Chipping Norton, was tonight still in a critical condition in the John Radcliffe Hospital

  • M40 closure causes rush-hour delays

    A CRASH led to the closure of the M40 in north Oxfordshire tonight causing long delays for rush-hour drivers. A car struck the central reservation on the southbound carriageway between junction ten at Ardley and junction nine at Bicester, leading to

  • United down to half-size

    Twelve months ago, Oxford United set a Conference record by pulling in 11,065 for their Boxing Day match against Woking. Next Wednesday, the 2007 Boxing Day gate is likely to be just over half that. United's ticket office said yesterday it was hard

  • Marvin on the mend

    U's striker Marvin Robinson is on the mend after his horrific car crash. He popped into the club to talk to teammates and physio Neil Sullivan about his recovery. He is still on crutches, but hopes to go to the rehabilitation centre at Lilleshall

  • Guinea trip still on

    Oxford United's prestigious friendly at home to the Guinea national team has been put back a year. But United chairman Nick Merry says the team will still be going out to west Africa next summer to take on Guinea in their own country. "They couldn't

  • FOOTBALL: Ladies packing them in

    Without a game last Sunday, Oxford United Ladies decided it was a great opportunity to get out in to the community as a team and raise some money for the club. They are a self-supported club funded by subs from the players, which has to go towards funding

  • Yellows such long shots

    Another week, another competition - but hopefully not another defeat! Oxford United haven't had the best of times in the past fortnight in the Blue Square Premier, the FA Cup sponsored by Eon and the FA Carlsberg Trophy, but there's always the Setanta

  • Piper targeted by online abuse

    Busking bagpiper Heath Richardson has contacted police, claiming he is being harassed on a social networking website. Mr Richardson, 32, has entertained shoppers in Cornmarket Street, Oxford, for 14 years. But some traders complained about the music

  • Benefit cheat councillor sentenced

    BENEFIT cheat and Oxfordshire county councillor Olive McIntosh-Stedman has been sentenced by a judge to 50 hours' unpaid community service and ordered to pay £5,000 costs. McIntosh-Stedman, 65 who represents Cowley and Littlemore, was convicted of

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 76.75 BMW 2940 Electrocomponents 206.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 110 Oxford Biomedica 19.5 Oxford Catalyst 147.5 Oxford Instruments 185.5 Reed Elsevier 659.25 RM 197.75 RPS Group 316.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Community service for benefit cheat councillor

    Benefit cheat and Oxfordshire county councillor Olive McIntosh-Stedman has been sentenced by a judge to do 50 hours unpaid community service and ordered to pay £5,000 costs. McIntosh-Stedman, 65 who represents Cowley and Littlemore, was convicted of

  • Blown fuse closes city stores

    TWENTY properties including large stores in Oxford city centre were left without power this afternoon thanks to a blown fuse. Department store Boswells and bookseller Waterstones, in Cornmarket, were forced to close while a specialist joiner from Southern

  • Fuse knocks out shops' power

    Twenty properties including High Street shops in Oxford city centre were left without power this afternoon thanks to a blown fuse. Department store Boswells and bookseller Waterstones were forced to close while a specialist joiner from Southern Electric

  • Comedy script makes £48,500

    THE original and complete script of comedian Ronnie Barker's Fork Handles sketch was auctioned today. The four-page handwritten script raised £48,500. The auction of the script by Mr Barker, who lived in Dean, near Chipping Norton, before his death

  • All set to give charity a lift

    Majorettes from Oxford are practising their lifts and twists in preparation for a charity event next year. The youngsters from the Strawberry Fayre Majorettes are warming up for the British Red Cross's Dance for Life next April. They are planning to

  • Hot tips to keep chills at bay

    NHS staff have warned people to keep warm during the colder months to prevent a bout of the winter blues. Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust is reminding patients that it is not just colds and flu that become more common. A lower body temperature

  • Teenagers find new inspiration

    Teenagers are being given the chance to get a fresh start in life thanks to an Oxford-based project. The innovative work-based educational programme known as The InspirEd Project is giving teenagers a chance away from the classroom. It offers an alternative

  • Robin honoured in print

    Many people's living rooms are full of robins on Christmas cards at this time of year. But few can compete with Oxford biologist Andrew Lack'scollection off robinabilia. As well as Christmas cards, there are stamps, envelopes, china and cartoons, fairy

  • 'Get tough on parking'

    ENFORCEMENT officers manning Oxford's car parks have been told to issue thousands more fines. Oxford City Council believes drivers are getting away with flouting regulations and have told their enforcers to come down hard on those who stay beyond

  • Festival theme confirmed

    THE Earl of March today confirmed the theme of the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed, which is 'Hawthorn to Hamilton - Britain's Love Affair with World Motorsport. Britain has always played a key role in the global motor racing industry, forging successful

  • Soup kitchen spreads some cheer

    As the frost bites and the sky threatens rain and snow, most of us can shut ourselves away and enjoy Christmas. But there are many people in Oxford who do not have a home, or a family, or somewhere safe and warm to go. Icolyn Smith has been running

  • Africa dream

    The Christmas decorations are up and the weather is cold, but plans are under way for next year's Cowley Road Carnival. African dance, music and crafts were all part of a special celebration of carnival culture at East Oxford Community Centre, Princes

  • Pilot 'was trying to protect others'

    The family of the pilot who crashed near Oxford believe he may have brought his plane down in woodland to avoid nearby houses. Father-of-three Tom Miller, from Chipping Norton, was tonight still in a critical condition in Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital

  • Metal thieves raid building site

    Scrap metal thieves have stolen lead and copper cable from a building site in Kidlington. They broke into the site, in Blenheim Road, early yesterday, using bolt cutters and took 160kg of lead and 75m of cable. They also stole a wheelie bin, which

  • Cabbages and Kings

    The message - Merry Christmas' - flashing on the bus's front matrix destination board, combined with the strains of that delightful song, "All I want for Christmas" playing on my car radio, rekindled a boyhood wish. To explain, it is necessary to hark

  • LONDON GYPSY ORCHESTRA @ THE CARLING ACADEMY

    With the stage crammed fit to bust with everything from violinists and cellists to accordion players and trombonists, the London Gypsy Orchestra's performance at the Academy was bound to be a lively affair. But the 35-strong orchestra exceeded all expectations

  • MAXIMO PARK @ THE CARLING ACADEMY

    Forget weight watchers, diet pills or Atkins. The way to lose weight this Christmas is easy - get yourself to a Maximo Park gig, writes Erica Bingley. From start to finish, the Geordie band's Oxford gig was fully charged and bouncing. Frontman Paul

  • Plea issued after attempted raid

    POLICE appealed for information today after two men attempted to burgle a house in Didcot. At about 9pm yesterday, the occupants of an address in Loyd Road heard a knock at the door and saw two men outside. The occupants spoke to them via the bedroom

  • ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS (U)

    Family/Comedy. Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Jane Lynch and the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney. Director: Tim Hill. In the 1995 Oscar-winning Babe and its disappointing sequel, director George Miller employed

  • ST TRINIAN’S (12A)

    Comedy. Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley, Paloma Faith, Kathryn Drysdale, Lily Cole, Tamsin Egerton, Amara Karan, Antonia Bernath, Juno Temple, Lena Headey, Jodie Whittaker, Russell Brand, Anna Chancellor, Stephen Fry, Celia

  • Cheap fare

    The sad truth is that Christmas comes second only to Valentine's Day as a way to blow your cash on an overpriced meal if you dine out. This is one of those times to stay indoors and tuck into convenience nosh. And while supermarkets have some attractive

  • O Come all ye faithfull

    Sick of Slade, appalled at the thought of an X-Factor Christmas Number 1, and out of ideas for New Year's Eve? The Guide's Music Editor Tim Hughes offers some festive advice on how to get rocking around the Christmas tree - with just a hint of tacky fun

  • FOOTBALL: Boss Merritt up for the battle

    British Gas Business Southern League Oxford City boss Justin Merritt says his side must toughen up as they begin their Christmas programme at home to Taunton Town at Court Place Farm tomorrow. o City, who were named team of the month for November in

  • FOOTBALL: Kidlington seeking to bounce back

    Sport Italia Hellenic League After their long unbeaten run came to an end on Tuesday at North Leigh, Kidlington will look for an immediate return to winning ways with a tricky trip to Milton United in the second round of the SBJ Sports Insurance Cup

  • BADMINTON: Colts set a strong pace

    Colts and Co, based at Headington School, kept the pressure on the Oxfordshire Five Disciplines League Division 1 contenders by recording a convincing 248-143 win over a weakened Feathers side, from Banbury. The only hiccup occurred in the opening discipline

  • RUGBY UNION: Meenan back for Hawks

    Mark Meenan is expected to return at fly half when Henley Hawks host Blackheath in National 2 on Saturday. Meenan has scored tries in his last two appearances, and should have recovered from a hamstring injury. Wing Danny Wells replaces Felise Ah-Ling

  • Biting Back

    While Littl'un has been enjoying some fun-filled days, the nights have been a different matter. She is currently cutting her jagged side teeth which have left two marble-sized swellings either side of her lower jaw. Just looking at it makes you cringe

  • Skoda makes sporty addition

    SKODA has unveiled a new addition to its Fabia line-up: the Sport. It will sit at the top of the supermini range alongside the current Fabia 3 flagship. Costing from £10,660, the Sport has a more aggressive, purposeful look. This new stance is achieved

  • Fabia estate arrives soon

    SKODA has announced that the new Fabia Estate, which goes on sale from February 7, will be priced from £9,360. The firm says the new car will have significantly increased equipment levels over the outgoing model. The latest edition to Skoda's line-up

  • Order books open for flagship engine

    ORDERING has opened for the flagship engine version of the new Renault Laguna. The engine is available on three trim levels: Dynamique, Dynamique S and Initiale, with on-the-road prices ranging from £19,150 to £23,900. The car which will develop a maximum

  • Roadtest: Drop-top dream

    It is not often that the launch of a car causes a worldwide furore. But back in 1989 the excitement surrounding the launch of the original Mazda MX-5 was hard to overstate. I happened to be in California on another Mazda launch when the PR folk produced

  • SPORT CALENDAR: All the week's sporting fixtures

    SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. SETANTA SHIELD. 4th round: Aldershot v Oxford Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Bromsgrove Rov v Banbury Utd. Div 1 South & West: Didcot Tn v Windsor & Eton, Fleet Tn v Abingdon Utd, Oxford C v Taunton

  • Thief steals £60 from pensioner

    A thief tricked a pensioner into thinking he had won a charity competition before stealing £60 from his coat pocket. At around 7pm on Monday, a caller came to the door of a 76-year-old man's home in Windrush Close, Kingsend, Bicester. He told the elderly

  • CRICKET: Rowant's relegation confirmed

    Kidlington chairman Nick Duval says they accept the Home Counties Premier League's decision not to punish Burnham for allegedly fielding an ineligible player against them in the final game last season, writes Ed Mezzetti. The ruling, which was made

  • BADMINTON: Colts set strong pace

    Colts and Co, based at Headington School, kept the pressure on the Oxfordshire Five Disciplines League Division 1 contenders by recording a convincing 248-143 win over a weakened Feathers side, from Banbury. The only hiccup occurred in the opening discipline

  • Ekström does the double

    AUDI driver Mattias Ekström made one of his biggest dreams come true in the final round of the "Race of Champions" by defeating the seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, triumphing for the second time in a row at the motorsport spectacle

  • POINT-TO-POINT: Hanmer delighted with victory

    Retired TV commentator John Hanmer, from East Challow, was on hand to see his Candarli take the confined race at the Farmers Bloodhounds Hunt point-to-point meeting at Dunthrop, near Chipping Norton. Hanmer owns the 11-year-old with Malmesbury handler

  • ROWING: Oxford have strength in depth

    OXFORD and Cambridge revealed their trial eights to the world last week - and the Dark Blues look to have a greater strength in depth for the 154th Boat Race on March 29 next year, writes Mike Rosewell. New Oxford president Nick Brodie, the cox with

  • RACING: Calgary Bay's another Knight star

    Henrietta Knight hailed Calgary Bay as her 'next champion' after the gelding stormed up the Cheltenham hill to record his first win for her West Lockinge yard, near Wantage, writes Russell Smith. The handsome four-year-old, runner-up on his first three

  • Dos and don'ts of Champagne

    A GP acquaintance of mine has a lady patient who is 92 years old. This lady lives in her own home, looks after herself with little outside help and has a houseful of great-grandchildren to visit every Sunday. According to my friend, she is more active

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 76.5 BMW 3002 Electrocomponents 204.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 110 Oxford Biomedica 19.75 Oxford Catalyst 147.5 Oxford Instruments 185.75 Reed Elseveier 648.75 RM 198.5 RPS Group 316 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Thieves wheel away metal

    BURGLARS wheeled away copper and lead from a building site in Blenheim Road, Kidlington, in a wheelie bin. In the early hours of yesterday, thieves stole a wheelie bin from outside a house in Blenheim road. They then broke into the building site using

  • Eccentric, yes, but a pioneer in geology

    CHRIS KOENIG looks back at the life of the clergyman William Buckland, Oxford's first professor of geology The 19th-century clergyman William Buckland, who became Oxford's first professor of geology, found himself wrestling with the difficult task

  • Time to plan seeds

    As digging and pruning are out, VAL BOURNE turns to the catalogues I always feel in limbo land at this time of the year. You can't dig when it's sopping wet and you shouldn't prune when it's frosty. So the the only thing to do is settle down with

  • Story of a farming survivor

    The Warriner School farm is the only one of its kind in the country and one of only 25 in the country as an educational centre, writes ELIZABETH EDWARDS The stock at the farm attached to The Warriner School in Bloxham includes several rare breeds

  • The shock-horror of the Turner Prize winners

    THERESA THOMPSON considers the impact on art of the controversial award, celebrated in a Tate Britain retrospective The Turner Prize has gone north this year, to Tate Liverpool in the run-up to that city's year as European Capital of Culture. Leaving

  • Plane crash investigation begins

    An investigation into what caused a plane to crash in woodland near Oxford was launched this morning. Air accident investigators have started work in Wytham Great Wood after the plane's wreckage was found just after 8pm last night. Police said this

  • Contest conman steals £60

    A THIEF conned his way into a 76-year-old man's home by telling him he had won a competition. The man told the householder that he had won a doormat and a pair of slippers in a charity competition and that he needed a pen to write down the details.

  • Gas poisoning: two charged

    TWO men will appear in court on manslaughter charges following the death of an Oxford woman from carbon monoxide poisoning. Angela Pinkney, 35, died in her bedroom at her home in Mandlebrote Drive, Littlemore, on March 17, 2005. British Gas was

  • Top school set to expand

    A SUCCESSFUL school in Banbury will expand to meet demand if residents agree. Hanwell Fields Community Primary School and nursery had just 30 pupils when it opened in 2003. The nursery is now full, 14 children are on the waiting list and 42 parents

  • Faraway

    As we all prepare for Christmas, it is easy to forget those who will spend the festive season in dangerous faraway places. We have recently welcomed home troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. But while they, and we, enjoy Christmas with our families,

  • Tough OK, but don't forget TLC

    Some will no doubt interpret it as yet another attack on the motorist. But if there is money to be made from motorists who flagrantly break parking regulations in Oxford, there is every reason to collect it. It is better for the city council to be

  • Police believe gunman has left county

    A GUNMAN who went on the run after threatening a police officer with a gun outside two schools is believed to have left Oxfordshire. Hundreds of pupils were ordered inside while armed officers hunted for the man in Didcot last Friday. The incident came

  • Top head says fond farewell

    PUPILS, parents and teachers at an Oxford primary school have praised their headteacher - who is retiring after 17 years spent transforming its fortunes. Bunty McCormack took over at St Joseph's Primary School, in Headley Way, Headington, in April 1990

  • £500,000 green aid for academy

    THE Peers Academy could become one of the 'greenest' places to learn in the UK, thanks to a Government grant scheme to make schools more environmentally friendly. The academy, which is proposed for the site of Peers School in Littlemore, is in line

  • Man recovers after 999 crash

    A MAN injured in a crash on the Tesco roundabout, Abingdon, is recovering at home. David Kidd, 43, from Home Close, Wootton, had to be cut free from his car, last Thursday morning after it was involved in a crash with a fire engine and another car.

  • Pots of fun at 'Hogwarts' tea party

    HUNDREDS of children took part in a Harry Potter-themed tea party with wizards and live owls - in the real-life Hogwarts' dining hall. About 300 youngsters from schools across Oxfordshire descended on Christ Church - which was used as a location for

  • Smashing example of car crime

    POLICE were taking to the streets of Oxford today to warn of the dangers of leaving valuables inside cars. Officers will be in Broad Street and Worcester Street car park with dummy cars which will have their windows smashed to highlight just how quickly

  • Troops face Christmas in war zone

    MOST families across Oxfordshire will be tucking into turkey and warming themselves by the fire this Christmas. But for others the festive period will be spent patrolling the battle-scarred streets of Afghanistan and fighting the Taliban. Territorial

  • Shoppers urged to be wary of offers

    Trading standards officials have exposed the tricks behind Christmas sales and warned shoppers not to be ripped off. Shoppers should ignore the hype and think carefully before parting with their hard-earned cash, according to Oxfordshire County Council

  • Police meeting open to public

    THE public can take part in a monthly meeting being held to discuss policing in Oxfordshire. The Thames Valley Police Authority is meeting tomorrow at Police Headquarters, Oxford Road in Kidlington from 10am. The meeting is open to members of the public

  • Gas poisoning: Two charged

    Two men will appear in court on manslaughter charges following the death of an Oxford woman from carbon monoxide poisoning. Angela Pinkney, 35, died in her bedroom at her home in Mandlebrote Drive, Littlemore, on March 17, 2005. British Gas was called