Archive

  • River Thame still on Flood Watch

    The River Thame and Chalgrove Brook were today the only waterways in Oxfordshire to remain on Flood Watch. The alert, the lowest level of alert issued by the Environment Agency, applies to the river from Marsworth to Shillingford including,

  • The police hi-tech eye in the sky

    THE police helicopter took off an average of two and a half times a day last year to attend incidents in Oxfordshire. The crew were called out on 906 occasions in the county in 2009 – 118 more than the year before. Their presence resulted

  • Oxford Utd 0, Accrington 0 (28/08)

    Oxford United are left still looking for their first league win of the season after a frustrating afternoon at the Kassam Stadium. They only really played how they can in the second half, and were lucky the Lancashire side hadn't been one or two goals

  • GLOBETROTTER: Sharm el-Sheikh

    Ibrahim, my instructor, gently patted my trembling hand. “Don’t worry,” he said. “People who are scared, like you, they’re better divers.” Scared was an understatement. I was terrified of the prospect of plunging into the depths of the Red

  • Oxford United v Accrington level at the break

    Oxford United were fortunate to go into the half-time break 0-0 against Accrington Stanley at the Kassam Stadium. The Lancashire side looked much sharper and created the better opportunities, Ryan Clarke saving from Ray Putterill and Sean McConville

  • GREYHOUNDS: Yeates charge on form

    Trainer Richard Yeates is enjoying a good spell of open racing and has guided Boherna Blackie through to the final of the Brighton Belle at the Hove track tonight. Blackie recorded the fastest time in the semi-finals and is favourite to land the £2,500

  • Wax challenge honours pub landlord

    A TEAM of cricketers faced an agonising hour and a half of having their most delicate areas waxed for charity. Dubbed the ‘Boyzilla’ the procedure left the six men hair-free all over. The Chadlington Cricket Club, which is playing in the final of the

  • ANGLING: Worth the wait at Ridgeway

    The latest Carp League 2010 match at Ridgeway was hard for the 19 matchmen until the last couple of hours, when the place switched on. Andy Benwell (Predator) had only a couple of fish in the net for most of the match, but then landed 20 from under his

  • First picture of baby Cameron

    THIS is the first picture of doting dad David Cameron with his new baby daughter. Florence Rose Endellion Cameron was born on Tuesday after Samantha Cameron went into labour during the family’s summer holiday in Cornwall. Mrs Cameron

  • Webber on pole at Spa

    Mark Webber made it a phenomenal 12 pole positions from 13 races this season for Red Bull Racing as he grabbed top spot for tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix. Following a tricky qualifying session, as a couple of showers over different parts of

  • ANGLING: Ayling in barbel bonanza

    Brightwell angler Luke Ayling had a terrific catch of barbel from a private stretch of the Kennet. He started fishing at first light and went on all day, finishing with no fewer than 17 barbel, including five doubles, the best weighing 15lb. He used

  • United face the drop. . . in a charity abseil

    OXFORD United are going down this season – all in the name of charity. Chairman Kelvin Thomas and manager Chris Wilder will not be plummeting to the bottom of the league table, but down the side of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington They will

  • Blackadder star wins right to build futuristic home

    COMEDIAN Rowan Atkinson has won permission to build an ultra-modern countryside home after telling councillors it would not “parody” the country’s heritage. The Mr Bean and Blackadder star will now pull down a 1930s house near Ipsden, in South Oxfordshire

  • ANGLING: Super Drennan retain crown

    Drennan GOT Baits are the Oxford Super League champions once again and also provided the individual winner in Matt Herbert. They wrapped up the title by winning the final round on the Thames at Medley and Folly with 58 out of 60 points. For once, Medley

  • Creation Theatre performs a charitable act

    charities have been given a boost to the tune of more than £5,000 thanks to Creation Theatre Company. The Oxford-based drama group donated the proceeds of one of its performances of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to 17 worthwhile causes

  • TRIATHLON: Tipton & Vallance claim victories

    Banbury's Stuart Tipton romped to an impressive victory in the Carterton Triathlon. Tipton completed the 400m swim, 24km bike ride and 5km run in 1hr 7mins 3secs – more than a minute ahead of runner-up David Swann. Jim Stewart (1.08.22) was a further

  • Crash causes A34 hold-ups

    A two-car crash caused delays on the A34 Oxford Western Bypass today. The collision happened on the southbound carriageway between the Peartree and Botley interchanges. One lane was closed leading to hold-ups. Congestion on the southbound

  • No let up to aid campaign

    MUSLIMS in Oxford have continued to raise massive amounts of money for the victims of the Floods in Pakistan. At Friday prayers for the last few weeks, appeals have been made at mosques around Oxford. Collection buckets positioned around

  • SCHOOLS ATHLETICS: County eight going for glory

    Eight Oxfordshire competitors will go for glory in the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in north-east England from Thursday to Sunday next week. Peter Barnshaw (Abingdon School), Freddie Curtis (Cokethope School, Witney) and Cosima Berry (Tudor Hall, Banbury

  • Community digs deep for Pakistan

    THE Banbury community raised almost £13,000 in one night to help people hit by the Pakistan floods. A charity dinner attracted 400 people from across the community, and most of the cash raised will be used to pay for two specialist pumps to provide clean

  • Give us a new play area, demand Littlemore kids

    YOUNG people in Littlemore do not believe enough is done for them on the estate, a new survey has found. More than 87 per cent of 189 schoolchildren polled feel the area does not have adequate provision for them. And even more said they would like

  • MOTORSPORT: Plato's hopes take a knock

    Oxford's Jason Plato still has high hopes of winning the Dunlop MSA British Touring Cars Championship, despite a disappointing weekend’s racing at Silverstone. It saw nearest rival Tom Onslow-Cole (Team Aon) close the gap on Plato to 14 points, with

  • Man with stun gun avoids jail term

    A 28-YEAR-OLD man who had a stun gun in his room has been sentenced. Mark Maisey was returning from a night out in Oxford when he found the weapon in the back of a taxi. Neil Moore, prosecuting, told Oxford Crown yesterday that Maisey’s flatmate was

  • Surgeons operate to help orphan walk

    A YOUNG Romanian woman with a severely deformed leg can walk again thanks to the generosity of Oxford surgeons. Nicoletta Vizi, 19, was abandoned at an orphanage in Romania when she was a child. It is not known how her leg became so

  • COMMENT: Restoring faith

    NICOLETTA Vizi suffered many indignities during her 19 years, growing up as an orphan in Romania. She suffered a badly deformed leg — possibly because it would draw sympathy if she was begging on the streets — and has been trying for 10 years to get

  • SWIMMING: Abingdon coach looks to future

    Former Australian open national swimmer Scott Farnell is the new coach at Abingdon Vale. The 22-year-old, from Sydney, has dreamt of coaching abroad from a young age. And Farnell’s own decision to transfer into coaching was inspired by his mentor and

  • EQUESTRIAN: Blenheim receives a prize boost

    The Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials will have increased prize money across the board this year. The winning riders of the eight and nine-year-old British Championship class will now take home £8,000 (compared to £5,000 last year)

  • SWIMMING: Didcot's long-distance duo

    Didcot Barramundi have started a new open water section where, under the guidance of head coach Iryna Kobzar, swimmers have been training over the summer with the view to start competing longer distances in open water. Two of them took part in their

  • Child sex attacker jailed for eight years

    A 55-YEAR-OLD paedophile who “groomed” a young girl has been jailed for eight years. Terence Phillips told his young victim he fancied her and “offered her money for sexual favours” in Wantage during an 18-month period. He was jailed

  • Hero’s quad bike stolen

    A PARATROOPER who lost both legs and an arm when a bomb exploded in Afghanistan has fallen victim to thieves who stole a quad bike he uses to get around. Corporal Tom Neathway said his mother discovered the £6,000 Apache bike had been stolen from the

  • Barley wine keeps 100-year-old hale and hearty

    A GREAT-GREAT-grandfather-to-be who celebrates his 100th birthday today has a love of barley wine to thank for his long life, according to one of his sons. Harold Morris, of Blenheim Court, Sycamore Drive, Carterton, enjoys a tipple of Gold

  • GREYHOUNDS: Shelbourne is hot

    The Nick Colton-trained Shelbourne Fire, runner-up last time out, can hold the nap hand in the Our Jan’s Half a Ton Handicap Trophy over 595 metres at Oxford Stadium tonight. TONIGHT’S RUNNERS 7.35: WYCHWOOD BOY, Sierra Lobo 3, Snazzy Sky, Gateway

  • A34 crashes spark two-hour delays

    MOTORISTS faced hours of delays on the A34 last night as fire, police and ambulance crews were called to two multi-vehicle pile-ups. Drivers were already facing heavy bank holiday congestion before a crash at 1pm caused two hours of delays.

  • YOUTH CRICKET: Coaches honoured

    Oxfordshire duo Andrew Martindale and Mark Roche have been recognised as part of the Sky Sports ECB Coach Education Programme. The pair received certificates from former England player and head coach David Lloyd during the recent npower Test match against

  • YOUTH CRICKET: Rowant suffer final heartache

    Aston Rowant finished runners-up in the NatWest Under 15 Nat-ional Club Championship after meeting their match in the final at Kibworth CC. Rowant were disappointed not to have played better in a 91-run defeat to Wanstead, but could take much

  • GREYHOUNDS: Oxford struck by double blow

    Oxford Stadium’s hopes of staging the Scurry Gold Cup and the Gold Collar next year are over after sister track Belle Vue retained the option. Belle Vue are able to raise the appropriate prize money attributed to such prestigious competitions, leaving

  • Body in canal was ex-nurse

    A WOMAN found dead in the Oxford Canal was a college nurse who had only just retired. Yesterday tributes were paid to Helen Brough, who had worked at Brasenose and Merton colleges as a nurse for two decades before her retirement earlier this

  • YOUTH CRICKET: Abingdon win under 13 title

    Thomas Harris was the star as Abingdon Vale won the Under 13 League crown at Bicester & North Oxford, beating Westbury in the final. But while Harris’s unbeaten 30 and 1-9 in the final was crucial, it was his sensational return of 6-5 in the semi-finals

  • No verdict in rape trial

    THE jury in a rape trial was discharged yesterday afternoon after failing to reach a verdict. Austin Blacker, 20, of North Street, Middle Barton, denied raping a 14-year-old girl in a portable toilet at a birthday party in Gagingwell, near Chipping Norton

  • Put money on our city miss

    MISS Oxford Camilla Chia is a 66/1 outsider to win the Miss England beauty contest next week, say bookies. Paddy Power lists her as joint 45th favourite to lift the crown during the two-day contest which starts at Birmingham’s Metropole Hotel

  • Woman broke into ex-boyfriend’s flat

    A WOMAN who broke into her ex-boyfriend’s flat and then smashed a window has been jailed. At Oxford Crown Court yesterday, Helyn Ward-Ackland, 45, admitted criminal damage on July 2. Nigel Ogborne, prosecuting, said she climbed through an open bathroom

  • Restaurant owner makes even bigger bang

    HE’S used to making a big bang in the kitchen but now restaurateur Max Mason will explode on to our television screens as a human cannonball. Tonight more than three million people will see the owner of the Big Bang restaurant in Jericho nervously shaking

  • Passport fraudster is jailed

    A TRAINEE nurse who hid her husband’s murder conviction from authorities has been jailed for fraud and possessing a false passport. Maryanne Ngina was an illegal immigrant working at the Warneford Hospital in Headington when she committed the offences

  • Homes at new flood risk

    ABOUT 1,000 families across Oxfordshire could face increased insurance premiums after the Environment Agency deemed their homes as being at greater risk of flooding. The Environment Agency last night published the latest information on flood

  • COMMENT: Much better to be safe than sorry

    HUNDREDS of families will be concerned to find themselves now included on the new flood maps of at-risk properties released by the Environment Agency. Twenty-one communities across the county have been affected by the updated maps, with about

  • Oxford defender Batt ruled out for three months

    Damian Batt could be sidelined for three months after the right back’s worst fears were confirmed by the results of his scan this week. It showed serious ligament damage to his left ankle following the challenge in the first few minutes of

  • Oxford United duo put on Accrington alert

    Jack Midson and Matt Green are set to return for Oxford United today in the club’s first ever match against Accrington Stanley. The duo dropped to the bench for the midweek Carling Cup tie at West Ham as manager Chris Wilder opted for technically

  • Dictionary of 17th century slang . . .innit

    A BAWDY 17th century dictionary of slang housed in Oxford’s Bodleian Library is to be reissued with a new introduction. Originally entitled A New Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew, the 1699 volume has been given a