Archive

  • Collingwood = clown

    Paul Collingwood has a lot to answer for. It is all well and good coming out after a match and admit you made a mistake, but his error was monumental and he should face sanctions for it. I know we all want to win, but you at least want to win legitimately

  • Third promotion spot is 'way off '

    The prospect of a third promotion place from the Blue Square Premier into the Football League is 'a long, long way off'. That is the view of the Football Association, the Blue Square Premier and Oxford United - all of whom believe that discussions could

  • U's unveil new kit

    Oxford United will unveil their brand new home kit at their Open Day on Saturday, July 5. The new home shirt, once again designed and manufactured by Carlotti, has a new look and feel, and the club are confident it will be a big hit with fans. However

  • Flooding: Do it yourself

    Families and businesses have been told to do more to save their homes and buildings from flooding. Sir Michael Pitt, appointed by the Government to investigate last July's floods, made 92 recommendations in his final report released today. His main

  • GOLF: Brits talk up chances

    British players have been talking up their chances ahead of The Ladies English Open (LEO) at The Oxfordshire. Yorkshire's Kiran Matharu, Kent's Dani Masters and last year's winner Becky Brewerton, from Wales, are among the favourites for the event that

  • A mega feat

    Fossilised footprints made by dinosaurs in Oxfordshire more than 168 million years ago today made a painstaking journey to find a permanent home on display. It is the end of more than a decade's work after the prints - left by a megalosaurus - were

  • GOLF: Yappers triumph

    Yappers Dobes won Five Star Events' Phil Garner Trophy with a record score of 128 points at Burford. The team of Nick Darnell, Barry Yates, Jim Elkins and James Ackford finished three points clear on the charity series' first visit to the club. Malcolm

  • Young singers raise the roof

    Hundreds of primary school pupils filled Oxford's Christ Church Cathedral with song this afternoon. The historic cathedral echoed with voices from Wood Farm, Rose Hill, Bayards Hill, St John Fisher, Pegasus, Orchard Meadow, Windale and East Oxford primary

  • Bank scam immigrant walks free

    A painter and decorator from Macedonia who was caught using a fake driving licence to open a bank account walked free from court today. Oxford Crown Court heard Aleksander Andreevski, 21, of Windale Avenue, Blackbird Leys, tried to use the fake document

  • GOLF: Results round-up

    FRILFORD HEATH Jack Acres Trophy (Blue and Green Courses): 1 M Woodside 136, 2 D Newbold 140, 3= J Richardson, A MacIntosh 146. Stableford Div 1 and 2 (Red Course): 1 I Barrett 40, 2 H Hale 36, 3 W Berry 33. Ladies' June Stableford (Blue Course) -

  • Taxis could get CCTV

    Taxis across north Oxfordshire could be fitted with CCTV cameras by the end of this summer, after a call by drivers to improve security and safety. It is hoped the £17,000 scheme, which would be funded by Cherwell District Council, will reduce crime

  • Police mount dawn drugs raids

    Police stormed two neighbouring homes simultaneously in Didcot and seized drugs in a dawn raid today. The two raids started when a squad of 15 officers burst through the front doors of two adjacent semi-detached properties in Synderford Close on the

  • Conference on dance legend

    More than 75 people from across the globe enjoyed a swinging time in Oxford as the city hosted the world's first conference on singing and dancing legend Fred Astaire. Adoring fans from as far afield as Australia flocked to Oriel College for a four-day

  • The Insider

    THE world has moved on, clearly, since the more chauvinist decades of the last century. But there are some things we do not wish to see changed. And dinner ladies is one of them. Dinner ladies across Oxfordshire - in schools that still have the service

  • Queen honours fire chief

    Oxfordshire's top firefighter was honoured for his work by the Queen at Buckingham Palace today - but dedicated his gong to the men and women working under him. Chief fire officer John Parry received a Queen's Fire Service Medal in recognition of his

  • River rescue: baby still critical

    Police have said a baby who is in critical condition after falling into the River Thames was 10 months old, not 18 months as they previously stated. Thames Valley Police initially said that the girl, who fell into the river at Goring Lock in the south

  • Budget chain in running for Waitrose site

    Budget German supermarket chain Lidl could be in the running to take over an empty site in Wallingford. South Oxfordshire District Council says the firm, which has shops in Cowley and Reading, is "one option" for the former Waitrose site, which has

  • AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Wonder Willie!

    RUNNING back Willie Long racked up 127 yards and a touchdown for Oxford Saints as they beat Ipswich Cardinals 23-10 to put themselves back in the hunt for a BAFL Division 1 South play-off place. After their mauling last time out against the Kent Exiles

  • New book charts rise and fall of Peers

    The cane, teenage nicknames and dodgy haircuts all feature in a new book about the history of Oxford's Peers School. The comprehensive school, in Sandy Lane West, Littlemore, will shut its doors next month, after a chequered 40-year history serving

  • Boys join all girls school

    A Catholic school will end its 150 year tradition of admitting girls only, to welcome boys. Our Lady's Abingdon, founded in 1860 by the Sisters of Mercy, has announced that boys will be admitted from September next year. The Radley Road school is

  • New Harley developed for Europe

    MOTORCYCLE enthusiasts are waiting with bated breath for Saturday's launch of the new Harley-Davidson XR 1200 TM at the Corner House dealership, at Wootton, near Abingdon. The XR 1200 is the first Harley-Davidson purposely designed for European roads

  • Demand for action on sewage

    Families fed up with sewage flooding their estate are demanding urgent action to tackle the problem. Homeowners in Derwent Avenue, on Didcot's Ladygrove estate, criticised Thames Water's plans to sort out the problem next year. Heavy rain overloaded

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 68.75 BMW 2506 Electrocomponents 141.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 138 Oxford Biomedica 23.25 Oxford Catalyst 169 Oxford Instruments 241 Reed Elsevier 588.75 RM 192.25 RPS Group 297 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Pat Utechin

    PAT Utechin, who died last week aged 80, was one of a rare breed of 'super-secretaries' to Oxford University high-fliers. Having served on a Voluntary Aid Detachment in the Second World War, she went up to Ruskin College. In 1947, she began working

  • Councillor resigns

    Cherwell district councillor Neil Godwin has resigned. Mr Godwin was elected to Cherwell District Council in 2002 and was portfolio holder for PR and communications. The Conservative councillor, who lives in Weston-on-the-Green, also served on several

  • Wonderful Cornwall

    Having lived overseas for a number of years and visited my fair share of countries around the globe, I like to think of myself as a bit of seasoned traveller. Though my travels have pretty much always taken me away from this fair isle of ours, in search

  • BOWLS: Oxon enjoy a welcome lift

    Oxfordshire set aside their Middleton Cup misery to hammer Sussex 141-115 in the Home Counties League at South Oxford. Oxon, who crashed out of the sport's premier county competition following heavy group defeats by Berkshire and Hampshire, were always

  • BOWLS: County denied at the double

    Oxfordshire suffered a brace of defeats in their latest friendlies. They went down 163-132 to the Home Counties Bowling Association at Banbury Central. And then the following day they suffered a 122-106 loss against Herefordshire at Eastnor. The

  • BOWLS: Hanborough off mark

    Hanborough broke their duck in Division 3 of the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries Garden Centre, with a 4-2 win against fellow strugglers Witney Town. It came after they had lost their opening five matches. In Division 2, Kidlington

  • ATHLETICS: City face battle against the drop

    National Young Athletes League Oxford City face an uphill battle to avoid relegation from South Division 1 West of the National Young Athletes League, after they finished last in the penultimate round at a windswept Milton Keynes. Going into the match

  • BOWLS: Results round-up

    KENNET LEAGUE Hagbourne A 82 (9pts), Prospect Park 73 (5) (Hagbourne skips first): I Snowdon 28, D Harris 9; P Ryman 19, A Brown 28; D Hall 17, R Gardner 18; M Mullins 18, K Tallett 18. Hagbourne B 103 (12), Island Bohemian 67 (2) (Hagbourne skips first

  • Toddler survives river plunge

    A toddler who police thought was dead after falling into the Thames is actually still alive, although in a critical condition. The 18-month-old girl fell into the river at Goring in the south of the county at 9.45am today. She was rescued from the

  • ATHLETICS: Radley post easy victory

    Radley won their Division 2 West meeting at Tilsley Park, Abingdon, in convincing fashion on Sunday. They finished well ahead of Bicester & Banbury and Abingdon Amblers, with a string of fine performances across the age groups. The boys team achieved

  • ATHLETICS: Reynolds is the star for British veterans

    Two Radley athletes shone for Great Britain against France and Belgium in the Interland Masters International at Ashford. Kay Reynolds won the A string 100m hurdles in 15.3secs. She also ran the 100m, coming home victorious, despite tough competition

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Corner trigger Masons misery

    Corner House A came close to a whitewash win over Masons Arms in Group A of the Oxford & District Summer League, writes PETE EWINS. Wins from Mick Jones (15,970 & 8,560), Bob Allsworth (8,930 & 7,420) and Ian Moss (6,640) put the hosts 5-0 up. But

  • Update: Child seriously ill after river incident

    A child is seriously ill following an incident at the River Thames at Goring. The ten-month-old girl was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. The mother and the baby's three-year-old sister, who were also believed to have entered

  • Trust Labour

    I see Ralph Leavis thinks I am suffering from amnesia (Oxford Mail, June 21). He must have a short memory. Margaret Thatcher ruined this country. Labour has done well, getting this country back on its feet. I am a pensioner and I feel safe with what

  • American bullying

    Some of your readers may have seen reports that under pressure from the United States, Lloyds Bank has withdrawn its facilities from customers who have the audacity to have dealings with Cuba. It seems that Cuba is on the US list of countries it believes

  • Councillor resigns

    Cherwell District councillor Neil Godwin has has resigned. Mr Godwin was elected to Cherwell District Council in 2002 and was portfolio holder for PR and communications. The Conservative councillor, who lives in Weston-on-the-Green, also served on several

  • Unwinnable war

    Our young men and women are risking and losing their lives in the Middle East in an unwinnable war. Gordon Brown says that it is to bring democracy to these countries, who have existed for centuries without it. Oil is the catalyst here. The truth

  • It's justice on the allotment

    You report on our successful bid to obtain a rent rebate for the damage caused on our allotments by last year's floods (Oxford Mail, June 20). The report sparks a number of comments. Firstly, those floods cost our members 80 per cent crop losses,

  • Flood report blames new homes

    Householders in Oxfordshire have been urged to make their homes more flood-proof because further downpours are unavoidable. Sir Michael Pitt, who is heading the Government's review into last summer's floods, today produced a report of 92 recommendations

  • Major exhibition set to draw crowds

    Hundreds of people were today expected to attend a major exhibition in Oxford. The Connect event is being billed as the largest of its kind to be held in the county and features more than 70 companies, with a turnover of £500,000 to £20m. Ian Workman

  • Update: UK 'ill prepared' for floods

    People in Oxfordshire have been urged to make their homes more flood-proof because further downpours are unavoidable. Sir Michael Pitt, in his independent report on last summer's floods, today produced 92 recommendations to ensure the county was better

  • It's Miller Time

    The founder of a company which has revolutionised parcel delivery for businesses has praised his workforce after picking up two top honours at the Oxfordshire Business Awards. Stuart Miller, chief executive of ByBox, based in Grove, picked up the Oxfordshire

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 68 BMW 2517 Electrocomponents 140.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 139 Oxford Biomedica 23.5 Oxford Catalyst 168.5 Oxford Instruments 236 Reed Elsevier 584.75 RM 193 RPS Group 291.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • All work and no play makes Jack a rich boy.....

    Well we were lucky at the Village Fete last Saturday as the rain stopped mid morning and the whole affair turned out to be a great afternoon. We binned our famous ‘Play Your Cards Right’ format this year for our stall and in its place produced a quiz,

  • Massa top at Silverstone test

    FERRARI driver Felipe Massa topped the timesheets in the first day of testing in the run-up to the Santander British Grand Prix. Dickie Stanford, test team manager for the Grove-based AT&T Williams team, said: "Nico Rosbergjoined the team for our first

  • British GP breaks records

    The British Grand Prix will be a record-breaker this year as the event is a guaranteed sell-out over all three days. For the first time in Silverstone's history, the circuit will be full to capacity for Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and on Sunday

  • CRICKET: Oxon draw at Challow

    Rob Williams hit another big century as Oxfordshire completed a decent recovery by drawing their Minor Counties Championship Western Division clash with Wiltshire at Challow & Childrey yesterday. It was hardly the most dramatic of finishes, with Wilts

  • CRICKET: Hawkes eyes Northants contract

    Nathan Hawkes hopes playing well for Oxfordshire will help secure him a full-time contract with Northamptonshire. The 19-year-old hit a free-flowing 92 on his championship debut against Wilts and hopes to stay involved throughout the summer. Hawkes

  • 'More flood protection work needed'

    Britain was not prepared for the floods which devastated parts of Oxfordshire last summer, an independent report will conclude today. Sir Michael Pitt is publishing his Government-commissioned review, containing 92 recommendations on how the country

  • Lock cottages sale put on hold

    THE Environment Agency's plan to sell almost half of the lock-keepers' cottages along the River Thames has been put on hold for at least six months. The plan to sell or rent out ten properties in Oxfordshire to cut costs prompted widespread concern

  • Tearaways cause mayhem in park

    THREE young tearaways filmed themselves roaring around a children's park on a motocross bike, then posted the footage on the Internet. People in Greater Leys said the film, posted on the YouTube website, showed the youngsters' blatant contempt for

  • Internet conmen target city

    INTERNET conmen are targeting Oxford in a new scam to fleece thousands of pounds out of househunters. In the past month, a dozen people have been swindled out of about £800 each after sending deposits via money transfer for accommodation advertised

  • Expect a knock at the door

    Most criminals and hooligans sensibly prefer to keep out of the limelight. But an increasing number, particularly young ones, seem to glorify in publicising their illegal and antisocial activities. The latest are a group of children who have filmed

  • Hospital tests 'risk infection'

    A RESEARCHER from Oxford claims to have uncovered an underlying cause of the hospital superbug clostridium difficile. Orde Levinson has written a paper concluding that contaminated urine samples could lead to the indiscriminate prescription of broad-spectrum

  • Students fight threat to music venue

    STUDENTS at Oxford Brookes University are campaigning against the demolition of one of the city's biggest live music venues. The university is planning to redesign its Gipsy Lane campus, but the proposed revamp has worried students because it involves

  • CCTV appeal to tackle vandals

    THE owner of a repeatedly-vandalised vehicle has called for CCTV to be installed in the car park behind his home. Simon Lockyer said his car's petrol tank was punctured and fuel stolen in the latest bout of vandalism behind his home in Blackbird Leys

  • High praise for college

    Faringdon Community College has become only the second secondary school in Oxfordshire to be rated as outstanding by education inspectors. The college, in Fernham Road, scored the highest rating it could in its latest Ofsted report. Cherwell

  • Bike yobs show off on Internet

    Three young tearaways filmed themselves roaring around a children's park on a motocross bike, then posted the footage on the Internet. Last night, angry people in Greater Leys said the film, posted on the YouTube website, showed the youngsters' blatant

  • On the spot

    The Environment Agency is back-tracking on its plan to sell lock-keepers' homes - and rightly so. When flooding is an ever-present threat, we need lock-keepers in key positions, not based miles away.

  • Warning on Internet housing fraud

    Internet conmen are targeting Oxford in a new scam to fleece thousands of pounds out of househunters. In the past month, a dozen people have been swindled out of about £800 each after sending deposits via money transfer for accommodation advertised to

  • Charity ride to remember grandad

    A 14-year-old is aiming to become the youngest accredited cyclist to ride from Land's End to John O'Groats alone this year. Luke Drummond is gearing up to cycle the 1,000 miles to support the British Heart Foundation, after his 75-year-old grandfather