Archive

  • Kidlington Vs St Edmunds

    A tough game for both teams with some great defensive play. St Edmunds had a great 1st half with some attacking play and great saves from both keepers. Max Nolan(10) St Edmunds broke the deadlock in the 1st half and looked like he had clinched the winner

  • Washing Lines

    Janie Hextall and Barbara McNaught love washing. Sheets and shirts, trousers and towels — they don’t mind what it is, as long as it is fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Their other mutual love is poetry, having met six years ago at a poetry reading

  • The Last Pre-Raphaelite

    Oxford’s profound influence on Edward Burne-Jones and other Pre-Raphaelite painters is highlighted in Fiona MacCarthy’s The Last Pre-Raphaelite (Faber, £25). She argues that the city’s medieval architecture, in the days before the Gothic suburban building

  • Interview with Pam Ayres

    Interviewing Pam Ayres made me laugh out loud several times and for a good half-hour afterwards I was still sniggering. Not all comedians and performers are as engaging off-stage as they are on but with Ms Ayres, what you see is most definitely what you

  • Interview with Nick Lake

    Vampires are nothing new in teenage fiction but the stakes have been upped with a new wave of blood-sucking ninjas, swords and decapitation Inspired by an interest in Japanese mythology and literature, author Nick Lake admits the idea for his books was

  • The End by Ian Kershaw

    THE END: Hitler’s Germany 1944-45 Ian Kershaw (Allen Lane, £30) More than a decade ago Prof Ian Kershaw told me of his readiness to break from of Hitler having completed his towering two-volume biography of the 20th-century’s most monstrous figure.

  • Local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 2.4 BMW 4521 Electrocomponents 191.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 94.5 Oxford Biomedica 5.35 Oxford Catalysts 59 Oxford Instruments 791.5 Reed Elsevier 492 RM 98.25 RPS Group 161.9 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Raising a toast to Mary

    Mary Holmes was joined by family yesterday as she celebrated her 100th birthday in style. Former seamstress Mrs Holmes, whose maiden name was Rose, was born on September 25, 1911. She now lives at Sotwell Hill House in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell and her

  • Marston Saints v Summertown

    Saints clinched their first points of the season with a commanding win over Summertown at Boults Lane. Lochie Craig (2) and Keenan Bray scored the goals to give Saints a 3-0 lead before Summertown grabbed one back late on.

  • Public is 'missing out' on forums

    People in south east Oxford have claimed they are missing out on crucial time with councillors. Area forums were introduced by Oxford City Council in April, designed as quarterly public meetings with councillors to focus on local issues. But despite

  • A glossy future is calling

    A young writer has launched a magazine from her Blackbird Leys bedroom, thanks to backing from the Prince's Trust. Ex-Cherwell school pupil, Kohinoor Sahota, has started The Book, an entertainment and lifestyle ‘bible’ for students. The 25-

  • Dancing pair accumulated many prizes

    These two dancers needed more than one cabinet to store their trophies. Donna Coppock and Tracy Drewett, both 11, had accumulated scores of them in the five years they had appeared on the dance floor. When this picture was taken in 1979, they were preparing

  • Punished for just giggling

    THE cane was in almost constant use at some schools a century ago. Pupils guilty of even the most minor misdemeanours, such as giggling or whistling, could find themselves receiving a few painful strokes. Susan Turner, of Beech Road, Wheatley, discovered

  • The changing face of Chinnor

    After 12 years of pulling pints at the Crown pub, landlady Margaret Broughton decided to try her hand at a more creative line of business in 1984. She teamed up with housewife Lynn Davern, left in the picture immediately below, to set up the village

  • Midget team a big success

    Barton Midgets were one of Oxford’s most successful football teams. They were one of three sides run by Barton Youth Club – the others were the Robins and the Rovers. The three teams won so many matches that on one occasion, they won the Ball of the

  • Young cyclists proved to be the best

    THESE six children were the cream of the trainee cyclists. Old Marston Secondary School’s first course of cycle training in 1962 produced 73 passes. Thirty of the young cyclists received pennants for gaining pass marks of 90 or more out of 100. The

  • Dancing days

    These young dancers were getting in step for a major stage production. They were pupils of the Maretta Grace School of Dance in Oxford and were preparing to join members of the Oxford Operatic Society in the musical Carousel. The show was performed

  • Nordic walking is taking off

    More than 700 people across Bicester, Banbury and Kidlington have taken up the latest keep-fit craze of Nordic walking, run by Cher-well District Council. The council runs a short course of four sessions for £10, and once complete people can join volunteer-led

  • Our park designs were child's play

    Youngsters who helped redevelop a Headington play park have finally seen their hard work pay off. The brand new play area was officially opened in Bury Knowle Park on Friday. Children from schools in Headington were asked to give designers ideas for

  • Scales of Justice: Oxford Magistrates' Court round-up

    Antony Rogers, 25, of Pegasus Road, Oxford, admitted shoplifting a sandwich and packet of crisps valued at £2.65 from Sainsbury’s in Oxford on January 26. Given a six-month conditional discharge and told to pay £2.65 compensation and £40 costs. Sedad

  • Venue for student volunteering opens

    THE UK’s first major venue dedicated to student volunteering is set to open for business in Oxford today. National charity Student Hubs launched its new £1m centre, in Turl Street, in what used to be a private members club. The idea

  • FOOTBALL: Clinical Ardley get back on track

    Ardley United got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at ten-man Highworth in the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division on Saturday. It followed was the perfect antidote to their 5-0 midweek thrashing atgainst Flackwell Heath. Minutes before

  • FOOTBALL: Kidlington throw it away

    Ten-man Kidlington twice threw away the lead as they went down to a 3-2 home defeat against Hanworth Villa in the FA Carlsberg Vase second qualifying round on Saturday. Jordan Parker gave Kidlington a 27th-minute lead, which they held until 57 minutes

  • Battle lines drawn in Cogges Link Road inquiry

    A LONG-AWAITED public inquiry into plans for the controversial Cogges Link Road has reopened, with Oxfordshire County Council saying there was a “compelling case” for the scheme. Here we provide a brief overview of both cases. David

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 2.25 BMW 4531 Electrocomponents 194.4 Nationwide Accident Repair 96 Oxford Biomedica 5.3 Oxford Catalysts 59 Oxford Instruments 804 Reed Elsevier 493.9 RM 98 RPS Group 162.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley.

  • FOOTBALL: Banbury duo red-carded

    Stefan Bailey, on his debut, and Simeon Wiliams were sent off as Banbury United slid to defeat at Cambridge City in the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division on Saturday. It was Banbury’s third defeat in a row. The visitors never looked like scoring

  • FOOTBALL: North Leigh suffer last-gasp agony

    North Leigh had to be content with a share of the spoils as a last-minute equaliser robbed them of victory at Taunton Town in Division 1 South & West. With the game going into injury-time, it looked as though Mark Gee’s side would hold on for the points

  • FOOTBALL: City close gap on leaders

    Oxford City made it four Premier Division wins in a row against their ten-man opponents. The result saw Mike Ford’s men move to within two points of leaders AFC Totton who suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by Hitchin. City dominated the opening exchanges

  • FOOTBALL: Abingdon stop the rot

    Abingdon United bagged their first point for five matches with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Bishop’s Cleeve in Division 1 South & West. It was Abingdon’s first clean sheet since their opening-day win against Taunton. Neither goalkeeper had a shot

  • FOOTBALL: Didcot are sunk by Poole

    Didcot Town had defender Alex Stanley sent off during Saturday’s 5-2 thrashing by Poole in what proved to be boss Francis Vines last Division 1 South & West game in charge. The scoreline could have been worse as Poole carved Didcot open almost at will

  • That goal was mine, insists McLaren

    Paul McLaren said that the opening goal on Saturday is his. The Oxford United midfielder saw his long-range free-kick take a wicked deflection before hitting the net. And when asked whether he was claiming the goal, he replied: “Definitely. It’s mine

  • MOTHERING SUNDAE: Party on girls... just not on the sofa!

    Having a 10-year-old daughter gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘surprise party’. It’s no longer defined by a joyful exclamation when a sudden flick of the light switch illuminates all your nearest and dearest in one room. Instead

  • Save the countryside

    Time is running out to save the Oxfordshire countryside from sweeping reforms to the planning system which would give developers the go-ahead to build on unprotected greenfield sites across the county. With this threat hanging over local communities,

  • Tribute to Peter Sykes

    I was sad to read in your pages that Peter Sykes had died. His tall figure and his northern dry humour loom large in my memories of working at the Oxford Mail and Times in the late 1970s early 1980s. In fact, it was due to Peter’s willingness to take

  • TV companies should cobble together for repairs

    Your article on about repairs to the cobbled Merton Street (Thursday, September 22) reminds me of a letter of concern I wrote to you approx-imately five years ago and also my conversation with Bill Heine on local radio. Since then many more patches have

  • FOOTBALL: Vines quits as Didcot boss

    Francis Vines resigned as boss of Didcot Town after a 5-2 thrashing by Poole Town in Division 1 South & West on Saturday, writes NICK FARRANT. Vines, 49, only took the helm three months ago after the resignation of Ady Williams. But he said he felt

  • Signal problems

    Reading Peter Casbolt’s letter regarding digital TV (Thursday, September 22), I agree with him. Where I live, we have lots of problems with trying to get ITV1, 4 and 5. It doesn’t affect the other channels only the ITV. Some days, it’s fine and other

  • A big thank you

    May I say thank you to all connected with last week’s festival in Wantage. It was a great success. As the instigator of the festival, Jim Mitchell was, of course, its face and figurehead, and he organised the Betjeman events. But it was our deputy

  • Biting back about shop assistants

    How valid it was of B Wharton to condemn me for moaning about shop assistants and check-out people taking, doubtless with sincerity, an interest in the course of my day, and being concerned about my packing skills. As usual, my comments naturally contained

  • Revamped race is going places

    On your marks, get set, go! The starting pistol was fired on the return of Oxford’s half-marathon which saw nearly 2,000 people take to the streets yesterday, many for a good cause. The overall winner was 26-year-old James Bellward, from Crawley, who

  • COMMENT: Let's run with it

    IT is hard to believe that the idea of a half marathon in Oxford has not caught on properly before. Ours is an ideal city to appreciate on foot and it was wonderful to see so many runners supporting the event. The route quite rightly

  • 90-mile drive to move man 60 yards to court

    A PRISON van was sent from Southampton to Oxfordshire to drive a suspected criminal a few yards from a police station to a magistrates’ court – because of his “human rights”. The decision to drive 90 miles to move defendant Oliver Thomas an estimated

  • Candle blaze

    Residents fled a fire in their home started by a candle. Firefighters were called to a two-storey house in Cross Street, East Oxford, at about 11.40am yesterday. The fire was contained in a bedroom where it started and all the occupants got out of the

  • Knife raider holds up Co-op staff

    STAFF at a convenience store in Grove were robbed at knifepoint by three men. The men stole cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of money from McColls in Millbrook Square just before 10pm on Friday. No one was injured. Caroline Gleed, sales assistant

  • 'I don't stutter at all if I'm singing'

    Unipart worker Chris Charlesworth turned to music to help him cope with a stutter he has had since he was eight. When the 52-year-old sings, his words flow with no unwelcome interruptions. But now the father-of-two has won plaudits for his music and

  • COMMENT: A worthy target for cuts

    PUBLIC sector cuts are debated every day but you have to wonder how much more fat there is. If today’s story about the barmy decision to drive prisoners from Banbury Police Station to the court next door because of human rights is typical, then the Government

  • Children grow up far too fast

    Author Philip Pullman, above, joined a string of experts warning that children are growing up too quickly. More than 200 teachers, academics, authors, charity leaders and other experts wrote to The Daily Telegraph to urge action to “interrupt the erosion

  • ATHLETICS: Hannah third in photo-finish

    Oxford City’s Hannah England is all smiles despite being beaten into third place in a tight finish to the 31st Fifth Avenue Mile in New York on Saturday. The World Championship 1500m silver medallist was pipped for second spot by Sally Kipyego, of

  • RESULTS: September 26

    FOOTBALL. NPOWER LEAGUE TWO. Oxford Utd 1, Accrington Stanley 1. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Cambridge City 3, Banbury Utd 0; Bedford 1, Oxford City 2. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd 0, Bishops Cleeve 0; Didcot Tn 2, Poole Tn 5; Taunton

  • Tough plans to improve standards at schools

    HEADTEACHERS and governors will be axed if under-performing sch-ools do not improve under tough plans to tackle low results at Oxfordshire’s primaries. County councillors made the recommendation after an inquiry into why Oxford’s seven-year-olds posted

  • SCHOOL PLACES: Almost half of primaries turn children away

    CHILDREN are being turned away for places at almost half of Oxfordshire’s primary schools. The pressure on places at popular primaries is revealed by new figures obtained by the Oxford Mail showing 93 out of 232 schools could not take all the children

  • U's boss Wilder full of praise for Accrington

    Chris Wilder believes that Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Accrington Stanley was a match where the opposition deserved credit rather than Oxford United receiving criticism. The U’s once again squandered the lead in front of their home fans as a second-half

  • League newcomers Harriers secure hard earned debut victory...

    League newcomers Thatcham Town Harriers opened their Oxford Mail season with a hard earned victory at Horspath Youth. The first half was an even encounter with both sides going close to opening the scoring. Seth Fowler went close when his flick hit the

  • 'I watched as dog killed my pet'

    A great-grandmother has called for dangerous dog laws to be changed after police could do nothing when her Yorkshire Terrier was killed in her back garden. Lorraine Harling was told there was nothing police could do as two-and-a-half-year-old Marley

  • Coach discount axe will 'hit pensioners'

    Plans to stop discounts on coach travel for pensioners are “devastating”, according to an Oxfordshire charity. Older and disabled passengers currently enjoy a 50 per cent discount on coach services like National Express. But Government cuts mean senior

  • Worries that bell tolls for village pubs

    Two popular Pubs in southern Oxfordshire are facing an uncertain future. The Six Bells at The Green, Warborough, closed on Tuesday, September 12, while The Crown in Marcham, near Abingdon, has been put on the market by Admiral Taverns.