Archive

  • HOCKEY: Banbury's Tim shines for England

    BANBURY Hockey Club's Tim Craven (pictured left) played in all three England Under 18 games in their three-match series against Ireland in Dublin at the end of last week. The right midfielder played a crucial role in England's 5-2 win in the first game

  • FOOTBALL: Keep up the good work – Peace

    Didcot Town boss Stuart Peace wants his players to keep up the good work at home to Burnham in British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West on Tuesday night. Peace said: "We can't have two good results and then lose at home to Burnham

  • FOOTBALL: Minster and Berinsfield are thrown out of Shield

    Minster Lovell and Berinsfield have been thrown of the John Fathers Oxon Junior Shield after they were found guilty of causing the sides' third-round tie last month to be abandoned. The match was called off after a mass brawl broke out on the pitch

  • Man admits £10,000 benefits fraud

    A MAN cheated his way to more than £10,000 in benefits, a court heard. Father-of-three Mark Tracey, of Frilsham Street, Sutton Courtenay, pleaded guilty to failing to report a change in circumstances. Today, Didcot magistrates granted him conditional

  • Police pay £150,000 for motorcycles

    POLICE are paying £150,000 to replace a fleet of motorcycles which were taken off the road because they were branded too dangerous for police use. The entire fleet of 11 Honda ST1300 bikes was mothballed more than a year ago after a coroner blamed

  • Suburb to get spruce up

    An action plan to improve the St Clement's and Iffley Road Conservation Area of Oxford has been drawn up after the city council carried out an appraisal of the suburb. It has identified a series of enhancements it can make, including planting more trees

  • Support for carers with drink-afftected babies

    A charity set up a year ago is raising funds and running a support group for parents of or carers for children born with defects because of alcohol. The FASD Trust (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) was started by Julia and Simon Brown, who live near

  • Jury told of fatal crash

    An off-duty taxi driver failed to see a drunken man walking in the middle of Oxford's London Road and ran into him, causing fatal injuries, a court heard today. Mokbul Hussain, 56, of Heather Place, Marston, appeared before city magistrates charged

  • Man stabbed dog to death

    A man who stabbed a dog to death has been sent to a secure psychiatric unit to be assessed by doctors. Santigo Taboada, 25, of Loyd Road, Didcot, used a samurai sword, metal bar and baseball bat to kill terrier Molly after the dog's owner refused to

  • Man admits benefit fraud

    A fraudster cheated his way to more than £10,000 in benefits, a court heard. Father-of-three Mark Tracey, of Frilsham Street, Sutton Courtenay, pleaded guilty to failing to report a change in circumstances. Today Didcot magistrates granted him conditional

  • Police seize alcohol during operation

    Police were out in force across the county to catch underage drinking - with mixed results. In Banbury at the weekend, they seized 120 cans and bottles of beer, 40 empty beer cans, one bottle of Lambrini, and one bottle of white rum during the first

  • RUGBY UNION: Quins overpowered

    Oxford Harlequins were left to ponder what might have been after a 35-19 defeat to new South West 1 leaders Bracknell. Quins scored three classy tries, but handed Bracknell at least two with sloppy errors. Although Bracknell were the better side and

  • RUGBY UNION: Maudsley stays positive

    Matt Maudsley praised Oxford Harlequins' efforts despite their 19-point defeat to Bracknell. Quins director of rugby said: "I'm really pleased with the performance, our broken field play was excellent and caused them problems. "It was just one or

  • RUGBY UNION: Chinnor slip to second

    Chinnor made hard work of beating Old Patesians 20-10 as they slipped to second in South West 1 on points difference. The hosts led 20-0 at the break, but lacked focus in the second half. Chinnor took the lead on seven minutes when full back Ben Hewitt

  • RUGBY UNION: Henley win at last

    Henley Hawks secured their first league win since November with a 21-15 victory at Halifax in National 2. But with Wharfedale also winning, Hawks are no nearer safety. Henley missed a good opportunity when hooker Liam Wordley's pass fell short of

  • RUGBY UNION: Banbury doomed

    Banbury Bulls were effectively relegated following their 34-7 home defeat to Derby in Midlands 2 East. Bulls could still theoretically overtake Ampthill by winning their remaining five games, but would also have to claw back a points difference deficit

  • RUGBY UNION: Wallingford sink Olney

    Wallingford gave themselves an outside chance of the Southern Counties North title by beating leaders Olney 16-12 at the Hithercroft. The win maintained Wallingford's unbeaten run at home since November 2005. Wing Richard Turner chased down his own

  • RUGBY UNION: Chippy are promoted

    Chipping Norton secured promotion to Southern Counties North with five matches to go after winning 41-5 at Farnham Royal in the BB&O Premier Division. Two teams go up from the BB&O Premier and now only Bicester can overtake Chippy, who need a maximum

  • RUGBY UNION: Harwell stay in hunt

    Harwell kept themselves in the promotion hunt with a 48-6 defeat of Maidenhead 3rd in BB&O Division 1 South. Tries from skipper Andy Lee, flanker Kev Wood and Rob Douglas, plus two conversions and a penalty from Dave Beaven made it 22-3 at the break

  • Police fork out £150k for bikes

    Police are forking out £150,000 to replace a fleet of motorbikes which were taken off the road because they were branded too dangerous. The entire fleet of 11 Honda ST1300 bikes was mothballed more than a year ago after a coroner blamed them for the

  • HOCKEY: Abingdon fight back from the dead

    Abingdon staged one of the most remarkable recoveries of the season as they overturned a 4-1 half-time deficit against Harrow at Tilsley Park to run out comfortable 8-4 winners. They were inspired by a second-half hat-trick from Josh Tomlinson in South

  • HOCKEY Baird bags brace for Hawks

    Oxford Hawks Ladies hammered Hampstead & Westminster 4-0 in South Clubs League Division 1. From the first whistle, Hawks looked strong, driving forward at every opportunity. They struck after only five minutes, with Fi Walton finishing well with her

  • HOCKEY: Rover pick up precious point

    Rover Oxford picked up a valuable point in the Slazenger England Women's LeagueNational North Division when they drew 2-2 at home to Cambridge City in a hard-fought contest. Both teams desperately need the points to remain out of the relegation zone

  • Impressive City march on at top

    Rachel Lammey, Mel Baker and Tam Curnow were on target as City of Oxford Ladies maintained their march at the top of Trysports 3 Counties League Premier 1 with a 3-0 win over Wycombe Rye 2nd. Oxford Hawks 2nd stormed to a 7-0 victory at Abingdon thanks

  • Missing teen sought

    Police are appealing for information to find a teenage boy who has been missing from the care of social services in Oxford for more than five weeks. Meeralam Jabarkhail, 15, is described as heavily built with short dark brown hair. He was last seen

  • Man 'had thousands of child porn images'

    A MAN with thousands of indecent images of children at his home swapped sick pictures "so he had people to talk to", a court heard. Bank worker Darren Hawkins had more than 7,000 electronic images on his home PC and on a laptop computer. They showed

  • Plea to trace missing boy

    POLICE today appealed for help from the public to trace a 15-year-old missing in Oxford. Meeralam Jabarkhail was last seen on January 10. He is heavily built, and has short dark brown hair. He was last seen wearing a yellow sweatshirt and blue jeans

  • Loner 'had 7,000 child porn images'

    A sad loner with thousands of indecent images of children at his home swapped sick pictures "so he had people to talk to", a court heard yesterday. Bank worker Darren Hawkins had more than 7,000 electronic images on his home PC and on a laptop computer

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 78.5 BMW 2702 Electrocomponents 186.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 120.5 Oxford Biomedica 28 Oxford Catalyst 144 Oxford Instruments 186 Reed Elsevier 591 RM 212.5 RPS Group 270.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Remand over stabbing

    A teenager charged with a stabbing has been remanded in custody. Simon Goodman, 19, of Middleton Road in Bucknell, near Bicester, was charged today with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges are in connection with an incident at a

  • University serves up tasty new deal

    Oxford Brookes University has awarded specialist student caterer Scolarest a new multi-million pound contract. The three-year deal worth £11.4m provide catering and hospitality services to 22,000 students and staff at five campuses. Under the new

  • Lorry driver held after A34 crash

    A MAN has been arrested in connection with a collision on the A34 northbound, near Weston-on-the-Green today. At 1pm, a lorry, a Renault Scenic and a Renault Espace were involved in a collision between Weston-on-the-Green and junction nine of the M40

  • Lorry driver arrested

    A lorry driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after a three-vehicle collision on the A34 today. The northbound stretch of the A34 between Weston-on-the-Green and junction nine with M40 is expected to remain closed until 5pm. A

  • Car restriction

    With increasing congestion on the roads and more and more accidents every year, maybe the Government should restrict the number of cars per household. JANE REEVE Cowley Road Oxford

  • Is this democracy?

    The recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto reveals the difficulty facing western governments trying to re-introduce democracy into a country where previously they supported military dictatorship. Many years of military dictatorship, first under Mohammed

  • No right to refuse

    Ten per cent of all our taxes are spent by the military and, if you withhold or divert tax due, you are likely to incur financial costs, and legal action may be taken against you. Between 1945 and 1960 when National Service ended, there were 10,000

  • Give them an eye test

    The only way to stop accidents involving cyclists is to make all cyclists have an eye test to see if they can distinguish red from green. The Highway Code states that you should stop when the lights are red. It is amazing the number of cyclists who

  • School panto to boost funds

    An unseasonal treat is in store for residents of Chesterton later this month when a village's theatre group performs Babes In The Wood. The Chesterton Panto Troupe has been rehearsing the production since last October. The play tells the story of

  • Mosquito can be heard by babies

    You quote Sgt Andy Cranidge, of Thames Valley Police, as saying that the noise from the Mosquito device cannot be heard by children and babies (Oxford Mail, February 13). This is not true. This is made clear in the report of the Applied Environmental

  • Sitting back to help charity

    Raising money for charity can be hard work... which is why staff from an Oxford pub have decided to sit down to bring in the pennies. Bar staff at the Britannia Inn, in London Road, Headington, plan to hold a 48-hour sponsored 'sofa sit' over the Easter

  • Teenager charged with stabbing

    A teenager is due in court charged with a stabbing. Simon Goodman, 19, of Middleton Road in Bucknell, near Bicester, was charged today with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges are in connection with an incident at a house in Pembroke

  • Teenager remanded on stab charge

    A TEENAGER charged with a stabbing has been remanded in custody. Simon Goodman, 19, of Middleton Road, Bucknell, near Bicester, was charged today with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges are in connection with an incident at a

  • Students shape choices in life

    Students in Bicester adopted the hands-on approach when they took part in a careers convention to help choose GCSE subjects. Showing off masks they had made with David Odwar, of Through Art Keep Smiling, were Jennifer Casey, 16, Sophie Randall, 16,

  • Pool is 'shabby and neglected'

    Swimmers at Oxford's Barton Pool have claimed there are so many problems with facilities at the centre that many regulars have stopped going. Despite the pool not yet having reached the second anniversary of its opening, swimmers said it is already

  • Two charged with knife raid on shop

    TWO people have been charged in connection with a robbery in Thame. Rebecca Hampson, 24, and James Scott, 32, both of Terry Drive, Aylesbury, have been remanded in custody and were due to appear before Oxford Magistrates' Court today. They were

  • On Yer Bike

    Okay, the kids are off school, and one day in, they're already boooored!' - as most children seem to say when they're in the house for more than two minutes. When I was a kid in the holidays, there was a programme called Why Don't You? In fact, the

  • Coroner traces next of kin

    POLICE said this afternoon that they had traced the next of kin of a man who died in Bournemouth. Richard McCronin, 51, who was born on January 5, 1956, was confirmed dead at his address, Flat B, 73 Southcote Road, Bournemouth, on Tuesday morning.

  • Cafe opens at doctors' surgery

    A new community café has set up shop in the rather unusual setting of the East Oxford Health Centre. Fully-licensed restaurant, bar and café Caffinocor opened last week in Manzil Way - offering food and drink between 7am and 11pm. It is being run

  • A34 section closed

    Police have closed a section of the A34 following a collision between a lorry and two cars. A woman in her 40s has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after the crash on the dual carriageway near the M40 junction at Weston-on-the-Green at 1pm

  • Miss Oxford Mail contest heats up

    Entries are flooding in from young women in Oxfordshire who are preparing to take part in this year's Miss Oxford Mail competition. The organisers of the Miss England competition say they have received lots of entries after the current Miss England,

  • Crash closes A34

    POLICE have closed a section of the A34 following a collision between a lorry and two cars. A woman in her 40s has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after the crash on the dual carriageway near the M40 junction at Weston-on-the-Green at 1pm

  • Entries flood in for our van design

    Entries have piled in for Oxford Mail's Design a Van competition - and now the tough task of choosing the winners has begun. More than 100 entries were sent in for our competition which gave readers the chance to come up with ideas for an imaginative

  • Man seriously injured in hit and run

    A 21-YEAR-OLD man suffered serious head injuries in a hit-and-run collision. The man was crossing Oxford Road in Bicester, near Bicester Community Hospital, at about 7.40pm yesterday when he was hit by a van. The van's wing mirror fell to the ground

  • Man injured in hit and run

    A 21-year-old man suffered serious head injuries in a hit and run. The man was crossing Oxford Road in Bicester, near Bicester Community Hospital, at around 7.40pm yesterday when he was hit by a van. The van's wing mirror fell to the ground in the

  • Lake dumping plan put on hold

    ENERGY giant RWE npower has announced it is putting on hold a plan to dump waste in a Radley lake. The firm has announced today that it will defer its plan to fill Thrupp Lake with coal ash from Didcot Power Station. The company said the success of

  • Ash-threatened lake ‘safe for now’

    Energy giant RWE npower is putting on hold a plan to dump waste in a Radley Lake. The firm announced today that it will defer its plan to fill Thrupp Lake with coal ash from Didcot Power Station. The company said the success of its ash recycling programme

  • Nighclub plans new VIP lounge

    An Oxford nightclub has launched a bid to convert part of a hairdressing salon into a VIP lounge. Clementines, in St Clement's, East Oxford, wants to develop the downstairs lounge area to cater for 15 to 20 people. Henry Venners, planning consultant

  • Food waste trial planned

    Details have emerged today of a trial of weekly food-waste collections for Oxford householders. The year-long pilot is expected to begin on April 1 and will see about 800 tonnes of food scraps diverted from landfill. The trial would involve 6,250

  • Estate club in plea for sponsors

    A childrens' football club has appealed to businesses and neighbours to help it secure the future of the beautiful game on an Oxford estate. Managers at Oxford Blackbirds have started organising a fundraising event which they hope will finance its league

  • Groups gear up for Gang Show

    Hundreds of Scouts and Guides are making final preparations for this year's Gang Show. The all-singing, all-dancing spectacular, which is backed by the Oxford Mail, will be put on at the New Theatre, in George Street, Oxford, from March 10 to 15.

  • Pair's socks for phones

    Mother and daughter Shirley and Wendy Fowler from Bicester, raised £1,300 for Katharine House hospice in 12 months - making socks to protect mobile phones. The socks and other items they made such as knitted scarves, nativity sets and greeting cards

  • Aldi supermarket fight continues

    A PLANNING inquiry is to be held after retail firm Aldi lodged an appeal against a decision to refuse it planning permission for a new supermarket on an Oxford floodplain. The German retail chain has appealed to the Secretary of State after Oxford

  • Ooops

    I have been hitting the bike pretty hard in recent weeks. It's been bad so I have been employing corporal punishment. Sorry bad joke. What I mean is that I have been riding hard and giving myself a good workout (if anyone says oo-er then fair enough

  • Biotech boss upbeat after bus trial

    The boss of biotech firm Oxonica is confident of new growth after one of its key products received a major boost. Dr Kevin Matthews is delighted that its fuel additive Envirox which is designed to improve emissions and cut particulates, has passed an

  • Aldi fights planning refusal

    A public inquiry is to be held after retail giant Aldi lodged an appeal against a decision to refuse it planning permission for a new supermarket on an Oxford flood plain. The German retail chain has appealed to the Secretary of State after Oxford City

  • Lucy - a squeaky toy fan

    This is Lucy and she is a five-year-old Patter dale cross, who came into the centre as she was showing signs of jealousy in the home. Lucy is a very affectionate young lady who loves nothing more than to have a good fuss and a cuddle, she also loves

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 79.5 BMW 2695 Electrocomponents 186.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 120.5 Oxford Biomedica 27.75 Oxford Catalyst 144 Oxford Instruments 181.5 Reed Elsevier 593.25 RM 213 RPS Group 269 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Glass shed in A34 milk van crash

    DRIVERS were delayed today after a milk van crashed on the A34. The accident happened after 8am on the southbound carriageway, near the Pear Tree Interchange, north of Oxford, with the van shedding glass on the carriageway. A spokesman for South Central

  • Vote cheat denied band their shot at hitting the big time

    An Oxford band achieved national fame 30 years ago this month when they appeared on Opportunity Knocks, the popular ITV show, writes Eva Emendoerfer. Pete Myatt (bass), Mick Harris (drums), Mike Harris (singer/ guitar) and Peter Horwood (sax) were members

  • Typist Nikki a top tapper

    Many girls learned shorthand and typing after leaving school and became secretaries. But few probably matched the skill and stamina of Nikki Simon. The 19-year-old Oxford College of Technology student broke the world record for non-stop typing in

  • People power saved the bus

    People power won the day when villagers staged a protest over bus services, writes Emma Thompson. People living at Milton Heights, near Abingdon, were incensed when a well-used route was axed in 1977. Bus drivers pulling up at the usual stop in the

  • Milk van crashed on A34

    Drivers were delayed this morning after a milk van crashed on the A34. The accident happened after 8am on the southbound carriageway, near the Pear Tree Interchange at Wolvercote, with the van shedding glass on the carriageway. A spokesman for South

  • Taking a break from aliens

    A DALEK and a Cyberman invaded Oxford as Doctor Who star John Barrowman signed copies of his autobiography, Anything Goes. Alex Grisbrooke, five, and his six-year-old brother Adam dressed up as their favourite characters for the event at Borders in

  • City needs £3m for cancer centre

    MAGGIE Keswick Jencks always used to say that the news you have cancer hits you "like a punch in the stomach". But 12 years after her death, Maggie's legacy is helping thousands of cancer patients roll with the punches. Maggie Keswick Jencks was the

  • U's boss will not rest on laurels

    Oxford United boss Darren Patterson hopes to further strengthen his team by bringing in a central midfielder this week, and completing a deal to sign Michael Howard on a permanent contract. Howard ended his month's loan from Morecambe with another accomplished

  • Book sale

    A CHARITY book sale takes place at the Methodist Church, opposite Exeter Hall, Kidlington, on Saturday, March 8, from 10am to 4pm. Book lovers will have more than 12,000 second-hand books to choose from, with proceeds going to the Ministry of Kidlington

  • Marathon man

    OXFORD care home owner Andrew Longthorp is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for ex-servicemen by taking part in this year's London Marathon. The 42-year-old, who co-owns St Andrew's Care Home, in Headington, is supporting the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen

  • Tough talks on city budget

    CITY council leaders in Oxford are expected to decide tonight on a budget which could include millions of pounds worth of cuts. The ruling Liberal Democrat administration is proposing a two per cent rise in council tax, while the Labour group and the

  • Walking to save sight

    A FOUR-MILE walk through the grounds of Blenheim Palace will raise money for blindness charity Sightsavers International. The annual event, which last year raised £6,430, is organised by Oxford North Rotary Club and is on March 30, from 10am-4pm.

  • Building sites checked for safety

    THE safety of Oxfordshire's building sites is to come under increased scrutiny in a new programme of inspections. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) representatives will turn up unannounced at sites in the county throughout this month. The HSE said

  • Oxford chosen for 'inspirational' cancer centre

    Maggie Keswick Jencks always used to say that the news you have cancer hits you "like a punch in the stomach". But 12 years after her death, Maggie's legacy is helping thousands of cancer sufferers roll with the punches. Maggie Keswick Jencks was

  • Students raise thousands for Darfur

    STUDENTS from seven Oxfordshire schools have raised £6,000 to send directly to the victims of genocide in Darfur. The money will be sent specifically to women and children rape victims in Darfur, via the Oxford University Aegis Society. Pupils from

  • Radio station given 28-day trial run

    OXFORD'S only community radio station is to return to the airwaves for a month-long stint. OX4 FM has been granted a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) to broadcast 24 hours a day from March 1-28. It will be the third time the station has been given

  • Pupils unmask talent

    PUPILS got their hands dirty in a bid to learn about other cultures. Oxford artist David Odwarr, who originates from Northern Uganda, visited St Edmund's Catholic Primary School in Abingdon. He showed pupils how to make African masks from clay while

  • Rail action group meets

    THE OxRail Action group is holding an open meeting at the Watermans Arms, East Street, Osney, tomorrow at 7.45pm. Rail passengers are invited to give their views ahead of the group's meeting with Andrew Haines, chief operating officer of the under-performing

  • Bikers pay tribute to 'martyr' Fred

    THE only sound was the hum of motorbikes as 150 bikers gathered for a minute's silence to remember a fellow motorcyclist. Bikers from the Thames Valley branch of the Motorcycle Action Group made their annual journey to Broad Street, Oxford, to lay